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Bahk Eun-ji

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.

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Society

Gender ministry to probe Seoul city for sexual abuse scandal

Hwang Yoon-jung, a gender ministry official speaks during a regular briefing at government complex in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-ji The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday that it will conduct an inspection of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) next week amid an ongoing controversy over sexual harassment allegations made against the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.The decision came several days after Minister Lee Jung-ok pledged to map out effective and strengthened measures to prevent further sexual crimes in public institutions. “The inspection will be carried out next week, with a number of women's rights and law experts. The exact date has not been settled yet, but it will take about two days,” said gender ministry official Hwang Yoon-jung in a regular briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul. Earlier, the ministry said it would check all aspects of how the city government has been handling such cases so far. In this regard, the investigation will be focused on whether the SMG has complied with sexual harassment guidelines.Regarding the

Jul 23, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gender ministry to probe Seoul city for sexual abuse scandal
Society

Demanding Coupang's apology

Members of a countermeasures committee for people who were infected with COVID-19 at a logistics center of Coupang, a leading e-commerce company, in Bucheon, at the end of May, stage a rally in front of the company's headquarters in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Jul 23, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Demanding Coupang's apology
Health

Tap water crisis dents public trust in government

Bottled mineral water is stacked at a retail outlet in Seoul, Monday. Demand for mineral water and shower filters have surged in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province recently following recent reports of insect larvae in tap water. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPrime Minister Chung Sye-kyun ordered the environment ministry, Monday, to “quickly investigate the cause of insect larvae discovered in tap water,” but the authorities are unlikely to find answers anytime soon.In an emergency press briefing, an official of the joint investigation team created by the Ministry of Environment and Incheon Metropolitan Government said it would not easy to find exactly where the larvae came from and why they were in the tap water.“There have been very few reports of foreign substances such as insects or worms in tap water, but this time it's not yet clear why suddenly hundreds of cases are taking place simultaneously across the country,” a city waterworks official said. “There are no findings that have been studied enough to determine the link to the recent occurrences of particular ins

Jul 21, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Tap water crisis dents public trust in government
Society

Gov't to conduct full-scale inspection of purification facilities nationwide after worm found

Incheon Waterwork officials check water quality at a fire hydrant connected to the water supply center in Gyeyang, Incheon, West of Seoul, amid the discovery of insect larvae in tap water in the region, Monday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPrime Minister Chung Sye-kyun ordered a full-scale inspection of local water purification facilities across the country, Monday, after a recent series of reports by residents finding insect larvae in their tap water.According to the Prime Minister's Office, Chung requested Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae to inspect 484 water-purification facilities nationwide in cooperation with local governments as a preventive measure. “Under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, investigations should be conducted promptly and residents should be informed of the progress transparently so that the public anxiety does not escalate any further,” Chung said.A worm-like organism that was discovered in tap water at an apartment in Jung-gu, Seoul, Sunday, is seen in this photo provided by the resident. YonhapThe move follows a number of such cases report

Jul 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't to conduct full-scale inspection of purification facilities nationwide after worm found
Society

Universities grapple with cheating in online tests

A student listens to an online lecture at a classroom in Chung-Ang University, March 16, as schools opened for the spring semester online due to COVID-19. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiMore universities have considered conducting onsite exams for the second semester amid growing concerns over cheating on online tests, according to school officials, Monday. While controversy over fairness of online exams is growing as some students argue that tests should be taken in person, others raise concerns over possible infections. Many universities have faced cheating problems on exams held online during the spring semester amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the first semester, students of universities including Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University were found to have cheated on online mid-term exams usually by making group chat rooms on messenger services such as Kakao Talk or Telegram to share answers. As several students have been caught cheating, universities said they would sternly punish cheaters, but couldn't stop all cheating in final exams. In June, nearly 7

Jul 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Universities grapple with cheating in online tests
Politics

Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for man who threw shoe at Moon

Jung Chang-ok, third from left, enters Seoul Nambu District Court Sunday for questioning about throwing his shoe at President Moon Jae-in. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiProsecutors sought an arrest warrant on Sunday for a man who threw a shoe at President Moon Jae-in last Thursday at the National Assembly.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it requested the warrant to detain Jung Chang-ok, 57, on charges of obstructing justice and trespassing. Jung arrived for the arrest warrant interview later on Sunday.The incident happened when Moon left the Assembly building at 3:19 p.m., Thursday, after his 21st National Assembly opening speech. The shoe fell a distance from Moon, but police arrested Jung on the spot. Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station said it filed a warrant for arrest the next day, saying “The matter is utterly serious.”Jung reportedly said he threw the shoe because “President Moon makes people feel humiliated by calling for fake peace, and destroying the economy. He seems not be sorry to the people, so I threw my shoe to humiliate him.”Although J

Jul 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for man who threw shoe at Moon
Society

Yonsei students up in arms over admissions controversies

Students at Yonsei University in Seodaemun, western Seoul, hold a rally on campus, demanding the school refund part of their tuition, in this June 18 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiStudents of Yonsei University are increasingly angry over allegations surrounding the admission of the daughter of one of the university's former vice presidents into a graduate school. Many are particularly outraged as the case follows former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's son's unlawful academic privileges to the university, which has been criticized for abusing its high-profile status amid worsening social class divisions.In particular, six professors of the school were reported to have been involved in the illegal admission of former Vice President Lee Kyung-tae's daughter, which led to increased outrage. Students have denounced the high-profile figures abusing their social status to give their children an unfair advantage.The students' move has come as the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the results of the first comprehensive audit of Yonsei University, one of the nation's most prestigious universities

Jul 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Yonsei students up in arms over admissions controversies
Health

Can plasma treatment become alternative when remdesivir fails?

Shincheonji Church of Jesus members who have recovered from COVID-19 wait in line to donate blood plasma at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, 300 kilometers south of Seoul, July 13, to support the development of a vaccine or drug to treat the virus. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe most promising drug shown to treat COVID-19 patients so far is remdesivir, an antiviral medication made by Gilead Science, but it requires more rigorous clinical trials at least here in Korea, according to the health authorities.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has administered remdesivir to 42 COVID-19 patients from July 2 to 10. On July 13, it reported results from the group given the drug in different hospitals; nine showed an improvement, 15 showed no change, and three showed a worsened condition. Because the result has yet to be compared with a control group, KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Joon-wook said the quarantine authorities would seek experts' opinions as well as conduct further analysis in order to ascertain its efficacy. Plasma transfusions is one of two th

Jul 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Can plasma treatment become alternative when remdesivir fails?
Politics

Broadcasters hit for making 'defamatory' remarks against Park's accuser

By Bahk Eun-jiFreelance announcer Park Ji-hee and radio host Lee Dong-hyeong sparked controversy over inappropriate remarks about the former secretary who made sexual harassment allegations against the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon during their show, Thursday.The remarks, which were made mostly by Park who hosts a show on local television and a radio network TBS, were aired in a podcast Tuesday. During the show, Park said “I'm wondering what you (the alleged victim) have been doing for the last four years, and before showing up all of a sudden with lawyer Kim Jae-ryun.” Park Ji-hee / Korea Times filePark claimed the victim “said that she was unable to make a report due to his position as the mayor of Seoul at that time. Why did she not report it to the police in the first place?”She also raised a question about the evidence revealed during a press conference by representatives of the victim. “It was just a screen captured image showing the mayor was invited to the Telegram messenger app. That's not evidence to prove anything, and even though the bereave

Jul 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Broadcasters hit for making 'defamatory' remarks against Park's accuser
Society

Skepticism grows over city's determination to investigate late mayor

Seoul Metropolitan Government spokesman Hwang In-sik speaks during a press conference at City Hall in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiCivic activists are expressing doubts over Seoul Metropolitan Government's pledge to uncover the truth about the sexual harassment allegations made against the late Mayor Park Won-soon, made by his former secretary.The city government held its first official press conference about the allegations, Wednesday, six days after Park's suicide, vowing to create an investigative team with outside experts to “thoroughly reveal the truth.” However, questions about the details of the investigation, including how and when it will take place went unanswered, with Seoul Metropolitan Government spokesman Hwang In-sik claiming that answers could cause “secondary damage” to the former secretary.“If you look at the city government's response, it seems that they still don't know who they have to investigate. Appointments to the investigation team should be done by the Ministry of Public Administration or the National Human Rights Comm

Jul 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Skepticism grows over city's determination to investigate late mayor
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