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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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Health

Elderly care facilities to open for family visits from July 1

People line up for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift clinic at Wangsung Church in Seoul, Friday, after one of the churchgoers tested positive for the virus. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiHealth authorities said Friday they will allow family members to visit patients in nursing homes and care facilities from July 1, following growing complaints from patients and their families. All elderly care facilities have been shut down since March to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the vulnerable population. But the quarantine authorities have imposed some conditions. Visits will only be allowed in a space near the facility's entrance or outdoors. Reservations will be required and visitors will be asked to disinfect their hands and wear masks and plastic gloves. They will also be checked for virus symptoms and have their temperature taken.Transparent barriers, such as glass doors or curtains, should be installed to prevent physical contact. There also will be restrictions on eating food. “We will allow visits in a limited way at nursing homes and facilities from July,” said Yoon Tae-ho, a sen

Jun 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Elderly care facilities to open for family visits from July 1
Society

Korea Times, Incheon Global Campus to begin cooperation

The Korea Times President and Publisher Oh Young-jin, right, and Incheon Global Campus Foundation (IGCF) CEO Paek Ki-hun pose after signing a memorandum of understanding at the IGCF multi-complex building in Incheon's Songdo, southwest of Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Korea Times and the Incheon Global Campus Foundation (IGCF) signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday to enhance their cooperation in education. The signing ceremony took place at the IGCF's multi-complex building in Incheon's Songdo, between The Korea Times President Publisher Oh Young-jin and IGCF CEO Paek Ki-hun. Under the MOU, The Korea Times and the IGCF will promote global corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns, host global forums and create internship programs for university students studying at the IGCF's campus in Songdo. The IGCF is currently hosting George Mason Korea, the State University of New York (SUNY) Korea, Ghent University Global Campus and the University of Utah Asia Campus, with almost 3,200 enrolled students. The Korea Times is the longest-publish

Jun 25, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea Times, Incheon Global Campus to begin cooperation
Health

Outbreak among Russian sailors adds concerns over imported cases

Quarantine officials prepares to move sailors on a Russian refrigeration ship at Gamcheon Port in Busan, Tuesday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe health authorities are on high alert after a large number of Russian sailors in a vessel docked in Busan tested positive for COVID-19, Tuesday, while the local spread of the coronavirus pandemic appeared to be slowing down.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 46 new infections, Monday, bringing the nation's total to 12,484. In addition, one more death was announced, raising this total to 281. Among the 46, 30 were imported cases, 16 of which were on a Russia-flagged refrigeration vessel with 21 crew members. The ship departed from Russia's Vladivostok and arrived at Busan, Friday. The sailors did not disembark, but many local dockworkers had contact with them on the ship, raising concern over a possible infection cluster. Sixteen out of 21 sailors who have been isolated on the ship were tested Monday after the captain who had disembarked in Russia a week ago tested positive. Around 160 dockworkers who came into cont

Jun 23, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Outbreak among Russian sailors adds concerns over imported cases
  • Moon calls for thorough infection control efforts in capital areas
  • KLPGA practice round canceled after recent visitor tests positive for coronavirus
  • Rise in local infections, imported cases raises total cases to 12,535
  • Population mobility unchanged in May amid pandemic
Society

Incheon Airport to make 1,900 security workers regular employees

By Bahk Eun-jiIncheon International Airport Corporation said Monday that it has decided to directly hire some 1,900 irregular employees that perform security screening work.Incheon International Airport /Korea Times fileThe move came almost three years after President Moon Jae-in visited the company to advocate for zero irregular jobs in the public sector. The airport corporation was Moon's first destination to get across his message. This leaves the airport with another 7,642 irregular workers who will also receive regular positions by the end of this year. The airport initially planned to hire the security screening personnel as full-time employees of its subsidiary company first, and then directly hire them after the revision of the relevant law. As aviation and real estate leasing are its main businesses, it was impossible to hire special security personnel who can carry weapons under the security business law. However, the security workers have been in conflict with the airport since Moon's visit in 2017 as the head of the airport operator had aimed to comply with Moon's wish to

Jun 22, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Incheon Airport to make 1,900 security workers regular employees
Society

Teachers face higher workload amid pandemic

Students wait for a coronavirus test at a makeshift clinic in Oksu Elementary School, where a student was confirmed to be infected with coronavirus in Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA teachers' union called on the education authorities Monday to come up with more effective measures for its members who have faced an increased workload due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In a statement, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) claimed the government should guarantee teachers' right to rest.“Teachers should be safe first in order to protect students at schools. The Ministry of Education (MOE) should create a system that allows the teachers to take care of their health during this prolonged virus pandemic,” KTU spokeswoman Jung Hyun-jin said. “The Ministry of Education recommends teachers rest if they have any suspicious symptoms, but teachers can't actually take a break.” The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) also stated that the education ministry should actively support teachers who have underlying health conditions or who are seei

Jun 22, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Teachers face higher workload amid pandemic
Health

Doctors recommend authorities to release virus patients earlier

Bang Ji-hwan, right, head of the National Medical Center, speaks during a press briefing at the medical center building in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapGov't to restrict visas, flights from Pakistan, Bangladesh By Bahk Eun-jiMedical experts recommended on Sunday that health authorities consider reducing the isolation period for COVID-19 patients because the virus is found to be highly contagious only in the early stages. “The risk of transmission of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was greatest usually during the second week of illness. However, transmission of COVID-19 is greatly reduced after a few days of the onset. It means COVID-19 patients do not have to be isolated for a long period like MERS patients,” said Bang Ji-hwan, head of the National Medical Center's central clinical committee which is composed of medical attendants who have been treating COVID-19 patients. The committee also announced revised health guidelines for COVID-19, and said the authorities could save hospital beds and other resources by doing so. For a virus patient to be released, they currently

Jun 21, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Doctors recommend authorities to release virus patients earlier
  • S. Korea reports 48 new cases of coronavirus infection
Health

NHIS plays crucial role in battling COVID-19

Medical workers move a COVID-19 patient at the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) Ilsan Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of NHISBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea has been attracting attention from the international community for its prompt and effective response to the coronavirus pandemic, setting an example for other countries to follow. At the center of the nation's unprecedented efforts to combat the virus is the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), which has been playing a key role in the country's success in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.In emergency preparedness for medical response to the virus, there are several factors which led Korea to gain global attention ― fast and extensive testing, contact tracing, isolation, and treatment of confirmed cases. Above all, Korea's low-cost, accessible healthcare system, run by the NHIS, has drawn particular praise from medical experts at home and abroad.Medical workers prepare to carry out COVID-19 tests at a makeshift clinic set up in front of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) Ilsan Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi

Jun 21, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
NHIS plays crucial role in battling COVID-19
Health

Cluster infections show no sign of abating in capital area

A health worker carries out a coronavirus test on a citizen at a makeshift clinic at Gangnam public health center, Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe health authorities are struggling to cope with a possible resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic as there are no clear signs of it abating in the Seoul metropolitan area, despite the number of new daily infections staying below 40 for the third consecutive day, Tuesday.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 34 new cases, including 21 local infections, were detected Monday, which raised the country's total to 12,155. The total death tally increased by one to 278.The daily new infections slightly decreased from the previous day, and most were local transmissions in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, the KCDC said.Among the 21 local cases, 11 were people living in Seoul, four were residents of Gyeonggi Province, two were from Incheon, and one was a resident of South Gyeongsang Province. The number of imported cases also surged to double-digit levels, at 13.The cases traced to a warehouse run by e-commerce lea

Jun 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Cluster infections show no sign of abating in capital area
Society

Gov't urged to support colleges to refund tuition

University students from Gyeongsan in North Gyeongsang Province hold a press conference at Gyeongsan City Hall, calling for tuition refunds, in this June 2 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government should consider taking steps to make it easier for universities to refund tuition fees, after classes were disrupted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) said Tuesday.It also suggested that the Ministry of Education and other related agencies change their method of calculation, including levying tuition fees according to the cost of education so that they can be refunded easily ― over the long term ― in preparation for other potential infectious disease outbreaks.“Most professors do not have enough experience in remote classes, so they were conducted with students watching existing video material or submitting assignments,” said Cho In-sik, a researcher at NARS. Cho pointed out that students' satisfaction with the current online university classes was low, and the infrastructure for online classes was insufficient.“The learning

Jun 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't urged to support colleges to refund tuition
Society

Universities pressed to refund tuition amid protracted pandemic

A student passes by Konkuk University campus in Seoul, Monday. YonhapKonkuk University decides to offer partial refundsBy Bahk Eun-jiKonkuk University's latest decision to offer partial tuition refunds is putting other schools under pressure over whether to follow suit. Many universities have consistently refused to do so, despite growing calls from their students, according to school officials Monday.Konkuk University said Monday it will offer students a partial tuition refund, becoming the first university to do so, as its students have been demanding compensation or the chance to retake their courses at no further cost. Classes have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.The school's tuition committee, which includes university officials and student council members, has decided to reduce the tuition fee for the second semester for its 15,000 students. The committee has met 19 times since early April to reach that decision. The decided method dictates the amount of tuition that has to be paid in accordance with the ratio agreed upon by the two sides as indicated on the tuition

Jun 15, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Universities pressed to refund tuition amid protracted pandemic
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