Avsnitt

  • Eunjae Cho is currently studying Chinese Language and Literature at Seoul Women’s University. She has a deep interest in languages and Asian culture, which led her to work as a journalist in the e-sports industry. She has primarily written articles about League of Legends and Japanese subculture. A distinctive feature of her articles is that they include voices and interviews from fans and professionals across various countries.

    Her recent work: https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.naver?volumeNo=42695436&memberNo=6799533

    Her social media: https://www.instagram.com/noir_p90?igsh=czdvc3NiY3ltd2Ru&utm_source=qr


    Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell

    Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introduction

    4:35 League of Legends

    10:35 Who Plays E-Sports?

    15:45 Why are Koreans so good at E-Sports?

    18:55 National E-Sports Culture

    21:50 PC Bang Culture

    25:00 DDOS Attacks

    28:15 E-Sports Online Communities: Inven and More

    31:00 Zeus Leaving T1 for Hanwha

    36:10 E-Sports in the Asian Games and Military Service

    40:05 Can it become an Olympic Sport?

    44:00 Being an E-Sports Journalist

    48:20 E-Sports Fan Culture

    1:01:10 Recommendations

    Connect with us:

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

  • I watched Squid Game Season 2 over the holidays and decided to record some brief thoughts on it. You can find an abridged version in the newspaper here: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2025/01/782_389692.html

    I am back in the studio next week with a new guest and a new topic before flying to the UK to spend a month with my family.

    Happy 2025 everyone.

    David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a a social-cultural commentator, and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].

    Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos

    Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell

    Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873

    Connect with us:

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

    #koreadeconstructed #davidtizzard

  • Saknas det avsnitt?

    Klicka här för att uppdatera flödet manuellt.

  • David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a a social-cultural commentator, and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].

    Sanko Lewis (PhD) is a professor, philosopher, martial arts researcher, and artist living in Seoul, South Korea.

    Find him and his work: https://linktr.ee/sankolewis

    Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos

    Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell

    Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Taekwondo as Korean Wave

    4:03 Explaining 천지 (Heaven and Earth)

    6:02 The Birth of Taekwondo

    12:55 North Korea and Taekwondo

    15:12 Olympics Taekwondo

    20:00 Martial Arts Deconstructed

    32:40 Early Western Interactions with Martial Arts

    39:20 Taoism as Asian Philosophy

    55:00 The Japanese Origins of Taekwondo

    1:04:22 Choi Hong-hi

    1:14:50 Taekwondo in Modern Korea

    1:20:20 Ethnographic Research

    1:26:00 Korean Body Culture

    1:32:20 곡선미 (The Beauty of Curved Lines)

    1:43:31 단전 호흡 (Korean Breathing)

    1:47:48 Korean Aesthetics in Modern K-Pop

    1:56:55 Recommendations

    Connect with us:

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    #koreadeconstructed #davidtizzard

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

  • David A. Tizzard has a doctorate in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He is a social-cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].

    Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/L9azQpXZ2Rc

    Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos

    Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya

    Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873

    Connect with us:

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    #koreadeconstructed #davidtizzard

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

  • Korean gender, feminism, fairness and equality are discussed here at length. We also cover transgender representation in media, male mandatory military service, magic days for women, and the world's lowest birthrate.

    Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/L9azQpXZ2Rc?si=u-xsXr1c2atGH-ri

    Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos

    Connect with us:

    ▶ Email: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Jeon Yunseo: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    ▶ Jongmin: https://www.instagram.com/dunchonerd/

    Guest Ms. Samantha Afflick-Smith is an associate professor at Hanyang University’s Seoul campus. She works for the Centre for Creative Convergence Education’s College of English Education Committee (CCCE:CEEC), where she teaches courses from conversation skills, critical analysis, academic writing to professional presentations. She also teaches a vibrant PBL discussion course on South Korean society and its evolving cultural diversity. Samantha is known as an educator, peer and mentor who regularly encourages people to be their best and persevere through challenges with her positive attitude and tireless energy. In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading, writing short stories for her blog – Cacophony of Cerebral Consciousness @c3griot.wordpress.com and learning new skills, such as drawing, and audio editing.

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 What is (Korean) Feminism?

    12:05 Radical Feminism and the Internet

    17:25 The Silencing of Men

    23:40 Are Women and Men the Same or Different?

    33:00 Can Men and Women be Friends?

    42:50 Monthly Menstrual Leave

    55:20 Transgenderism and Poongja

    58:15 Should Women do Mandatory Military Service?

    1:17:10 The World's Lowest Birthrate

    1:38:40 How to Make the World a Better Place?

    1:47:50 Recommendations

    #koreadeconstructed #davidtizzard

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

    ▶ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873

  • This week I sat down with a group of BTS fans from around the world and spent two hours listening to their stories. As a lot of the media hype and attention around them has either focused on their solo efforts or been replaced by the next generation of idols, I thought it would provide some nice distance from the unprecedented levels of success they were achieving as a group a few years back.

    And so we explored different things together: When did they first discover BTS? What was the performance or the album that made them fall in love? How has their fandom affected their lives? What’s their favorite song? How many of the dances can they do? Who’s their favorite member? What makes them stand out from other groups?

    Big thanks to the guests: Kit, Aishu, Celine, and Annis

    Member

    Thank you again to the paid Patreon member Bhavya.

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introduction

    1:00 Discovering BTS

    5:35 The Evolution of BTS

    10:48 What Makes BTS Great?

    15:30 The Seven Members

    36:35 BTS and Mental Health

    43:05 ARMY

    52:30 BTS and Politics

    1:00:35 BTS and the K-Pop Industry

    1:04:20 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Kim Soyoon: https://www.instagram.com/celinesoyoon/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

    ▶ Song by Radical Gary (David): Savage Penguin

  • Zeljana Zmire, Ph.D. in International Studies and Korean Studies, is a lecturer at Hanyang University in Seoul. Her research interests include multiculturalism, immigration policy, comparative politics, international politics and other. She can be reached via [email protected].

    You can also find her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeljana-zmire-2927307b/

    Members

    Thank you again to the paid Patreon member Bhavya.

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Defining Multiculturalism

    6:00 Korea's Homogeneity

    15:35 The Effects of Media

    23:11 International Marriages

    31:30 Becoming Korean

    39:15 Racism in Korea

    48:00 Nouveau-Riche Nationalism

    53:05 Stereotypes on White Women

    56:05 How to Make the World Better

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Jeon Yunseo: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

    ▶ Song by Radical Gary (David): https://youtu.be/AAkVRbH8eyg?si=FYtMqj2YfmJcmPPI

  • Carlos Gorito is many things but most in Korea would have first come across him when he appeared on the hit television show 비정상회담 in 2015. Discussing a wide-range of topics in Korean, his personality and passion saw him gain many fans and win respect from the nation. He has worked with the Brazilian Embassy in South Korea and does a fabulous job of promoting relations between the two countries. When you listen to him speak, he says "us" and "we" when talking about Korea, and is now a public relations ambassador for Jeju Island. I first met him when we were both appointed by the Ministry of Justice to help people acclimatize to life here, a position he still proudly holds.

    Find him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlosgorito/

    Thank you to Bhavya for joining the Patreon as a paid member. I try to put free stuff there for members so you can see things with or without money. Because the studio and everything else involved costs a fair bit, any contribution certainly helps, but is not required.

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 비정상회담

    10:44 The Korean Language

    18:20 Korean Culture

    25:10 Our 애국심

    33:40 Korean History

    36:50 North Korea

    43:20 Multiculturalism in Korea

    51:30 Beauty Standards in Korea

    54:55 Misconceptions about Korea

    1:05:20 Advice for Coming to Korea

    1:11:00 Korean Korea Deconstructed (한국어로...)

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Kim Soyoon: https://www.instagram.com/celinesoyoon/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

    ▶ Song by Radical Gary (David): https://youtu.be/AAkVRbH8eyg?si=FYtMqj2YfmJcmPPI

  • Jocelyn Clark is a performer and scholar. Before becoming a professor at Pai Chai (培材) University in South Korea, she founded and directed the CrossSound new music festival in Alaska, and the new music touring ensemble IIIZ+ (guzheng, koto, gayageum, and percussion), organizations through which she commissioned and/or premiered over 30 new works for Korean gayageum. Next to her work in contemporary music she is the first foreigner without Korean heritage to become an official government disciple in the National Heritage system, in the genre gayageum sanjo and byeongchang [伽倻琴散調/竝唱].

    As a scholar, Clark has spent over 25 years in Japan, China, and Korea studying traditional musics. She holds a Ph. D. from Harvard University in East Asian Languages and Civilizations where she wrote on the language of pansori, focusing on the tension between its oral transmission/low social standing and its tenuous relationship to Chinese classical poetic texts of the High Tang. Other research interests include music of place, aesthetics, and contemporary “national music” performance practices in Northeast Asia in the age of AI. She has published in academic journals such as The World of Music, Asian Musicology, and Perspectives on Korean Music. She writes an opinion column for the national newspaper the JoongAng Daily.

    The introduction music is taken from Jocelyn playing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAQ6u3-N0YY


    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Starting a Korean Journey

    14:05 Understanding Korean Music

    22:00 Explaining Pansori

    33:45 Pansori, Gender, and Change

    38:36 Cultural Transmission and Education

    45:15 Concepts and Social Recognition of Korean Culture

    51:55 Seopyeonjae (서편제) and The Sound of a Flower (도리화가)

    58:30 Korean Sounds

    1:04:40 Aesthetics: More than Music

    1:17:40 The Korean Language

    1:22:30 3 Minutes Speaking Korean

    1:25:45 Live Concerts

    1:35:10 A Chinese Lesson

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Yunseo Jeon: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com

  • Jihoon Suk received his BA and MA on Korean modern history from Yonsei University and studied Korean Studies briefly at the University of Michigan. Now, a Ph.D. candidate at Yonsei University, he is doing extensive research on the colonial-era cultural history of Korea, with a special focus on the presence and popularity of modern audiovisual media (sound recordings, films, radio) during that time. He had published a number of articles and research papers in collaboration with various institutions, including the National Contemporary History Museum of Korea, Seoul City History Museum, Korean Film Archive, and the National Gugak Center. He also recently published a book (in collaboration with Nate Kornegay) on the history of Scratch Tiles, a type of brick that was popular in the U.S. and East Asia during the first half of the 20th century.

    You can follow Jihoon online here: https://www.facebook.com/jihoon.suk.1/

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Korean Kisaeng (기생/妓生)

    12:27 The Creation of Korean Culture and Music

    23:35 Korean Male Prostitution during the Joseon Dynasty / 사당패

    33:15 Outlawing Korean Buddhism during the Joseon Dynasty

    40:00 Slavery during Traditional Korea

    55:30 Korean Palaces and Modern Tourism

    1:06:00 Anti-Communism and North Korea

    1:17:35 Han, Heung, and Mut (한, 흥, 멋)

    1:24:40 The Japanese Colonization of Korea

    1:37:48 Listening to Early Records of Arirang

    2:14:00 The Lessons of Korean History

    2:17:30 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Yunseo Jeon: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

  • Peter Yoonsuk Paik is a Professor at Yonsei University in the Department of English Language and Literature.

    His academic writing on a variety of subjects can be found here: https://yonsei.academia.edu/PeterPaik

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 On Greatness

    14:20 What Kind of World Do We Live In?

    20:00 The Necessity of Spirituality

    24:40 Equality and Liberty

    30:00 The Modern University Classroom

    40:10 On the East and West

    50:00 On Korean Education

    54:10 Burning (Korean Movie)

    1:00:40 On Korean Society

    1:09:00 The Future

    1:16:45 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ David's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/datizzard/

    ▶ KD Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed/

    ▶ Yunseo Jeon: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Couldn't Be Your Son - by David Tizzard

  • Professor Moon Seungsook is a political and cultural sociologist, scholar of gender studies, and East Asianist specializing in South Korea. She grew up in Seoul, Korea and lived and worked in Boston and Cambridge, MA before moving to Vassar College. Her research evolved from feminist critiques of nationalism, militarism, democratization, and citizenship to globalization and transnationalism shaping militarism and civic agency, production and consumption of food and masculinities. She is a recipient of notable awards, including a Fulbright Scholars Award (2004-05), an inaugural endowed-chair visiting professorship at Harvard University (2014-15), and the Laboratory Program for Korean Studies Research Grant from the Academy of Korean Studies (2018-23). Her latest book is Civic Activism in South Korea: The Intertwining of Democracy and Neoliberalism (2024).

    Civic Activism in South Korea: https://www.amazon.com/Civic-Activism-South-Korea-Neoliberalism/dp/023121149X

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introduction

    7:00 The real life effects of neoliberalization

    15:40 Life in pre-democratic South Korea

    21:00 Neoliberalism and democracy in South Korea

    32:53 Citizens' Organizations in South Korea

    42:05 Neoliberalization and religion

    51:35 The profound irony of individualism

    55:05 Multiculturalism in South Korea

    1:02:45 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Fighting by Disorientalz

  • The Space Out Competition in Seoul, South Korea, is a unique and quirky event that challenges participants to do... nothing. The goal of the competition is to simply sit still, remain calm, and "space out" for 90 minutes without any distractions. In a society like South Korea's, where work culture can be intense and people often feel pressured to be constantly productive, the Space Out Competition offers a refreshing contrast. It emphasizes the importance of mental health and the need to slow down, even if just for a little while.

    This year's winner was Soa Kwon, a television presenter, announcer, and celebrity in the English-speaking media world of South Korea. Her success brought her even more fame, appearing on television with Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho as well as CNN. Soa says she could somewhat foresee this success and puts a lot of it down to her habit of writing down her goals and then manifesting them.

    Find Soa online:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soa.kwon/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tv-tn8cr

    In this episode, we are joined by regular co-host Yunseo Jeon and also Hyemin Kim

    Yunseo: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    Hyemin: https://www.instagram.com/hminimii/

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 The Queen of Spacing Out

    10:25 Manifesting Your Future

    20:25 Beauty and Gender in Media

    29:35 Celebrity Tea

    33:05 Weird Animal Noise Section (lmao)

    43:50 German or Korean?

    50:05 Evaluating Korean Society

    1:04:20 Looking at Hallyu

    1:12:55 Becoming a 'Dragon'

    1:20:45 Recommendations


    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Fighting X 3 by Disorientalz

  • Is Korea racist? Is Korea homophobic? How do media representations affect people's lives here? We brought two Korean people and two foreigners together to discuss life here in South Korea, exploring the topics of beauty, dating, race, sexuality, social media, and more. Aaliyah, Thomas and I had just spent 6 hours a day together for the last 4 weeks at the Hanyang University Summer program studying Korean culture.

    We’ve missed Yunseo for the last 6 episodes but she is back with us now. She’s also meeting Thomas and Aaliyah for the first time. Hongmin, relatively fresh from finishing his military service for the country, joined us to talk about his own experiences.

    Discussion Outline
    0:00 Korea and TikTok

    7:40 Beauty and Appearance

    24:50 Gaydar in Korea

    32:00 Dating Apps and Clubbing

    45:55 PDA in Korea

    53:00 Cultural Appropriation

    1:03:47 Pronouns and Language

    1:09:12 Being Gay in the Korean Military

    1:13:20 Media Representation and a Better Society

    1:27:40 Korea Before and After

    1:31:10 BL Dramas


    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Yunseo Jeon: y_jeon_s

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Savage Penguin by David Tizzard (Radical Gary)

  • Andrew Salmon, MBE, is the Seoul-based Asia editor of Washington Times, where he specializes in regional security, geopolitics and macro. He is the author of five books, including the award-winning Korean War combat histories, "To the Last Round" and "Scorched Earth, Black Snow." Those works have won awards from the ROK and UK governments, and have been translated into both Korean and Chinese.

    Andrew's Books

    To The Last Round: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Round-British-Stand-Imjin/dp/1845135334

    Scorched Earth, Black Snow: https://www.amazon.com/Scorched-Earth-Black-Snow-Australia/dp/1845136195

    The Washington Times: https://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/andrew-salmon/

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introduction

    2:25 The Psychological Effects of War on Individuals

    15:00 The Forgotten War

    19:30 Soldiers' First Impressions of Korea

    26:40 Difficult Questions

    30:45 The North Korean Offensive

    38:10 General Douglas MacArthur

    47:20 The Chinese Dragon Awakes

    1:00:00 An Ideological War?

    1:10:00 Prisoners of War

    1:14:55 Derek Kinne: Churchill's Bulldog

    1:20:50 The End of the War

    1:28:00 Current Military Capabilities

    1:36:25 China in the 21st Century

    1:44:20 Vladimir Putin

    1:49:35 Lessons on War and Human Nature

    1:57:35 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    Music: Stranger Danger - Francis Preve Pictures:

    A selection of photos and videos have been used in the YouTube version for educational purposes. If any of them are yours and you would like to be credited in the notes here, please let me know.

  • David Kim is many things but is perhaps best known for his Korean content on Youtube. He has been a huge part of three popular programs over the last seven years: DKDKTV, Ramyun and Chill, and, now, Korean Pizza Club. His content has reached millions and is driven by his positive and generous outlook on life, something even more evident when meeting him in person.

    We spoke about how hallyu has changed, whether K-pop is still cool, Korean dating culture, and life here in Seoul. We even got political at the end, exploring the challenges of democracy and communism and what hope young people have for the future.

    Check out David's work online

    Korean Pizza Club: https://www.youtube.com/@UCVqkbppiAXuI4Kp3AQmauTw

    DKDKTV: https://www.youtube.com/c/dkdktv

    Biroso: https://biroso.net/

    We are also joined by Seoul Women's University student Soyoon Kim

    Insta: @celinesoyoon

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introduction

    10:24 Positivity in the Korean Space

    15:42 Culture and Korea

    27:47 Is Hallyu Still Popular?

    37:20 Streaming Culture and Manipulation

    46:48 Dating Culture

    52:04 Being Cancelled

    1:03:00 Misperceptions of Korea

    1:14:20 Education and Competition in Korea

    1:23:00 Korean democracy

    1:35:20 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@UCXcdboOUCnCFnrAOF5dV1sg

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Still Something So Beautiful by David Tizzard (Radical Gary)

  • Park Nohae emerged as a powerful literary voice in South Korea during the tumultuous 1980s, though at the time few knew who he actually was. He was the faceless poet. The voice of the many. Working various manual labor jobs which exposed him to the harsh realities faced by the working class, he became a champion of labor rights and social justice. His collection of poems "노동의 새벽( Dawn of Labor)" published in 1984 sold over a million copies. However, his call for change and a new sky over the South Korean people brought him into conflict with the military dictatorship. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, though many called for the death penalty. Eventually, after seven long years, much of which was solitary confinement, he was released.

    Today he still writes poetry and takes photos, sharing his wisdom and insights with a new generation. You can also visit his photo exhibitions in Seoul, with images captured in Iraq and Palestine. However, Park shuns the limelight, rarely giving interviews and not wanting fame or publicity.

    This conversation with Cheehyung Harrison Kim celebrates the first English publication of Dawn of Labor, a book which he worked on with Brother Anthony (An Sonjae). Harrison is an associate professor of Korean history at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. We are also joined by Seoul Women's University student Kim Jiwon.

    Dawn of Labor: https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/dawn-of-labor/

    Park Nohae (twitter): https://x.com/parknohae

    Park Nohae (insta): https://www.instagram.com/park_nohae/

    Park's latest book (Korean): https://gift.kakao.com/product/9251669?input_channel_id=2630

    Nanum Munhwa: https://www.nanum.com/site/

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introduction

    7:30 The context:

    1980s Korea

    20:27 Politics and leftist ideas

    28:15 Gender and feminism in Park's work

    48:55 Dawn of Labor

    53:40 Love by Park Nohae

    58:55 How Much? by Park Nohae

    1:07:50 Mother by Park Nohae

    1:18:15 Arrest and imprisonment

    1:24:10 The artwork of Oh Yoon

    1:27:10 The color blue

    1:31:25 Park Nohae and the world

    1:37:50 Reading and translating Park Nohae

    2:00:15 Recommendations

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Still Something So Beautiful by David Tizzard (Radical Gary)

  • 사랑받지 못하는 공화국 (2024) was written by Professor Bryan Myers, a professor of international studies at Dongseo University in Busan. Anyone familiar with North Korean studies will be keenly aware of Myers and his work as he has written some excellent books on that subject, including The Cleanest Race and North Korea's Juche Myth. His latest book reveals two firsts: It’s his first written in Korean and it's his first that deals with South Korean politics. Myers has said that "the book's original thrust is the argument that the right neglected / still neglects the work of state-building, but most young people, being centrist or progressive, are just not interested in that issue." We’ll try and see if he achieved that or not.

    The book: https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000212218893

    Myers' Blog: https://sthelepress.com/

    In this conversation we are joined by Jacco Zwetsloot, host of the NK News Podcast, Park Kyunghoon (Charlie) for the third time, and Ko Eunbi from Seoul Women's University.

    NK News podcast: https://www.nknews.org/category/north-korea-news-podcast/latest

    Jacco's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaccoZed

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 Introductions

    3:10 Do Koreans know when their republic began?

    12:15 Is South Korea a republic or a nation?

    29:30 The sinking of the ROKS Cheonan

    35:15 Who are North Korea?

    44:45 Korea as Anti-Japanese

    1:05:35 Park Chung-hee as a benevolent dictator?

    1:18:10 The American hegemony of Korean Studies

    1:21:23 Reading Korean history written by a foreigner

    1:30:05 Personal narratives

    1:35:35 Does the SK left love North Korea?

    1:43:05 Closing thoughts

    1:57:15 Tattoos

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

  • Park Chan-wook is a master of movie making. And he's seemingly getting better with age. Leaving the sex and violence of previous hits such as Oldboy, JSA, and The Handmaiden behind him, Decision to Leave / 헤어질 결심 (2022) explores the relationship between a Korean man and a Chinese woman, completely incompatible, seemingly madly in love, and destined to destroy each other. These two roles are played expertly by Tang Wei and Park Hae-il.

    "The moment you said you loved me, your love ended. And the moment your love ended, my love began.”

    The movie is a piece of art: a poem. It encourages you to watch it multiple times, with each viewing providing greater insight into the layers constructed: through sound, language, visuals, and mis-en-scene.

    I sat down with two Korean women, Jimin and Yunsuh, and a Chinese woman, Jessie, to explore this movie from a variety of perspectives: art, beauty, gender, love, and morality. Each of them provided views and insights I would never have found myself. And yet, it still feels like there is so much that went unsaid.

    Discussion Outline

    0:00 First Impressions

    13:40 Park Chan-wook and Gender

    18:46 Park Chan-wook’s Style

    25:45 Is Decision to Leave Romantic?

    34:58 Asian Vibes: The Mountains and the Sea

    43:06 Tang Wei

    1:08:25 Poetry, Yeokbek, and McGuffins

    1:19:30 The Ending of the Movie

    1:38:50 Haejoon: The Male Lead

    1:59:52 Park Chan Wook and the Oscars

    2:08:00 A movie, a Book, a Song

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Rail Gun by Disorientalz

  • Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and another Ph.D. in computer engineering. As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for CERN and Philips Research Laboratories. Bernardo's 11th book, coming in 2024, is 'Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A straightforward summary of the 21st-century's only plausible metaphysics.'

    This is me listening to Bernardo and asking him questions so as to better understand the world as mind. To do this, we explored what it means to be human. Bernardo explained the work of Nietzsche, Frankl, Schopenhauer, and Jung to me as well as how a bourgeoise has sought to wrest control of our culture away from the church and ultimately leave us stranded, meaningless, and seeking solutions elsewhere.

    Bernardo taught me that we should not seek answers or solutions. These will never appear to us and we simply don't have the capability to understand what is going on. Instead, like the apple blossom in his garden, we should just be. We should listen to the noumena, the will inside us. We can describe it as duty, as calling, as fate, or as many other things. But ultimately, we are a violin and we should allow ourselves to be played by nature rather than seeking to force ourselves on the world. We should seek service instead of personal happiness. These ideas will stay with me for a while.

    At the end, I asked him to recommend a movie, a book, and a song. The movie he suggested was The Double Life of Véronique (1991) by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. The song was Song to the Siren by Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser. The book was Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation.

    Bernardo's Website: https://www.bernardokastrup.com/

    The Essentia Foundation: https://www.youtube.com/@UCHKZdDf09_8vVHm102fu0sg

    Bernardo's upcoming book: https://www.amazon.com/Analytic-Idealism-Nutshell-straightforward-metaphysics/dp/1803416696

    Discussion Outline:

    0:00 The importance of service

    7:40 The bourgeoisie capture of culture

    12:33 Immanent meaning

    25:35 Spiritual but not religious

    31:00 Carl Jung and our two stages of life

    41:58 Introspection as the royal path to knowledge

    48:15 Schopenhauer and the will inside us

    54:52 Synchronicity 1:05:03 Religion and science

    1:16:58 The world as mind

    1:26:10 A book, a movie, and a song

    1:31:10 The apple blossom

    Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

    ▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

    ▶ Yunseo Jeon: https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/

    ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

    ▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

    ▶ Find us on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/koreadeconstructed

    ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128

    ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE

    ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com/

    ▶ Music: Rail Gun by Disorientalz