The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Episoder

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  Tourist Season: Tourists from Hell (replay) 21.07.2026 1t 26min

  Every tour guide has stories. Joe and Shawn's are just funnier and pettier than most.
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  The Ulsan Family Tragedy 10.07.2026 34min

  A father and his four young children were found dead in their Ulsan home after months of financial hardship, leaving behind heartbreaking questions about poverty, mental health, and Korea's welfare system. We examine how multiple agencies recognized the warning signs, yet the family still fell through the cracks.
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  The Weird Science Behind Korean Food Nationalism 04.07.2026 46min

  A 2023 academic paper claims Korean food developed in isolation, authentic Korean food isn't spicy, and even that royal court cuisine isn't truly Korean. We examine its evidence point by point to explore where scholarship ends, nationalism begins, and why Korean cuisine doesn't need exaggerated origin stories to be extraordinary.
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  The Korean Ghost and Mr. Skeptic 17.06.2026 1t 4min

  After the release of his book Supernatural Encounters in South Korea, one of the comments Shawn received surprised him. Several readers expected a book about ghosts to be written by a true believer. Instead, they found a surprisingly skeptical approach to paranormal claims. One reviewer described the book as "a rather clever turn," while another called Shawn "a more discerning Peter Underwood." In this episode, Joe and Shawn discuss why skepticism is essential when researchin...
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  Paper Problems: South Korea's Election Fiasco Explained 09.06.2026 1t 2min

  Send us Fan Mail South Korea just held its 9th nationwide local elections on June 3, 2026, and what should have been a routine referendum on President Lee Jae-myung's first year turned into a genuine mess. Polling stations in Seoul started running out of ballot paper mid-day. Voters waited hours. Some gave up and left. In Songpa and Gangnam, people were still voting at 10 p.m. And then the protesters showed up to block the ballot boxes. Joe and Shawn break down what actually happened, why the...
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  Burned Twice 03.06.2026 29min

  Send us Fan Mail A car exploded in Shawn’s neighborhood, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed multiple vehicles and exposed a brutal insurance loophole in Korea. In this Fun Sized episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the recent fire involving a smoking vehicle that erupted near a GS25 convenience store, igniting a nearby van and damaging surrounding buildings. The discussion quickly turns to the aftermath, where the owner of the destroyed van discovered his insurance would not pay because th...
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  The Dark Side of Finger Hearts - Fun Sized 27.05.2026 17min

  Send us Fan Mail AI scams are getting weirder. In this Fun Sized episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the rise of biometric crime in Korea and how AI tools can now potentially lift fingerprints from ordinary photos posted online. Korean security experts are warning that common hand gestures like peace signs and finger hearts may expose enough detail for criminals to recreate biometric data. The hosts explore why Korea is especially vulnerable due to its high-tech culture, selfie habits, and long hi...
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  Korean Myths that Won’t Die, and Some New Myths We Created | FUN SIZED! 20.05.2026 22min

  Send us Fan Mail “Koreans are better surgeons because they use metal chopsticks.” “Korean grammar makes people more emotionally intelligent.” “Korean relationships are deeper because the language has honorifics.” You’ve probably heard some version of these before. In this Fun Sized episode, we look at some of the strangest Korean nationalist myths, where they come from, why people believe them, and how “gukbbong” culture keeps creating new ones. Inspired by a satirical flyer by Michael Hurt o...
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  Korea's Flashing Problem 10.05.2026 27min

  Send us Fan Mail Flashing and public indecency have been a problem in Korea for decades, but recent cases suggest the issue may be getting worse. In this Fun Sized episode, we look at the rise in flashing incidents across South Korea, including cases involving schools, parks, buses, apartment complexes, and public transportation. We also explore the psychology behind exhibitionism, the surprisingly light punishments often given to offenders, and why Korea refers to flashers as “Burberry Men.”...
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  The Composer Korea Tried to Execute 29.04.2026 45min

  Send us Fan Mail Isang Yun was one of Korea’s most important composers, blending traditional Korean sounds with modern European music. But in 1967, he was kidnapped off the streets of West Berlin by South Korean agents, tortured, and sentenced to death. In this episode, we explore Yun’s life, his music, and the political forces that turned a composer into a target. From his early years under Japanese rule to his exile in Germany, this is the story of an artist caught between ideology, identit...
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  Fun Size: Why Teachers in Korea Can’t Take Sick Days 22.04.2026 20min

  Send us Fan Mail We’re back with another Fun Size episode. This time, we’re looking at something that sounds simple on paper: sick leave. In Korea, it’s legally guaranteed. In reality, it’s often difficult, discouraged, or just not used at all. From teachers paying out of pocket for substitutes to cultural pressure to keep working no matter what, the system doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. We also talk about a recent case that brought attention to the issue and why change may finally be...
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  The Korean Cherry Blossom Controversy 10.04.2026 42min

  Send us Fan Mail Cherry blossoms might seem like the most harmless part of spring in Korea. But behind the crowds, festivals, and photo spots, there’s a deeper story that most people don’t notice. In this episode, we explore the quiet controversy surrounding cherry blossoms in Korea, from their role during Japanese colonial rule to the modern debates about whether they should even be celebrated at all. We also talk about the now-familiar “Cherry Blossom Ajosshi,” a one-man protester who appea...
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  Fun Size: The Gwanghwamun Sign Controversy 03.04.2026 17min

  Send us Fan Mail We’re trying something new. This is our first Fun Size episode—a shorter format where we tackle current topics that spark debate in Korea. This time, we’re looking at the controversy surrounding the sign at Gwanghwamun. Should it be written in Hangul or Hanja? It sounds like a simple design choice, but it opens up deeper questions about history, identity, and how Korea presents itself today. We break down the history of Korean writing systems, why Chinese characters were used...
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  The Korea “Would You Rather” Episode You Didn’t Know You Needed 20.03.2026 1t 8min

  Send us Fan Mail This episode takes a lighter turn with a “This or That” game that somehow turns into strong opinions about Korean food, hiking, cities, and history. We compare Bukhan-san and Inwang-san, break down bibimbap preferences, and get into the difference between taxi buffets and mountain restaurants. Along the way, we talk about cooking at home versus eating out, the cultural weight of the Goryeo period, and why Busan quietly wins a lot of these debates. There are also a few detours...
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  Why You Can't Bury Your Pet in Korea 13.03.2026 1t 7min

  Send us Fan Mail Pet ownership in Korea is growing rapidly, but what happens when a beloved animal dies? In this episode, Joe and Shawn explore the surprising and often emotional world of pet funerals in Korea. From strict burial laws that classify animal remains as “waste” to private cremation services that hold full memorial ceremonies, the reality of pet death reveals an unusual intersection of law, culture, and changing attitudes toward animals. Shawn shares personal experiences with crem...
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  SEAblings vs. K-netz: When K-pop Fandom Turned Into a Regional Reckoning 02.03.2026 1t 43min

  Send us Fan Mail A minor concert rule violation at a Day6 show in Kuala Lumpur ignites a much larger confrontation between Southeast Asian K-pop fans, known online as SEAblings, and Korean netizens, or K-netz. What began as frustration over DSLR camera use quickly escalated into accusations of racism, ingratitude, and cultural superiority. In this episode, Joe and Shawn explore what this clash reveals about Korean hierarchy, Confucian social order, ethnic “pure blood” nationalism, development...
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  Reading the Dead: What Korean Graves Tell Us 21.01.2026 1t 1min

  Send us Fan Mail Winter is cemetery season in Korea. With the grass dead, snakes gone, and sightlines open, this is when Korea’s hillside cemeteries quietly reveal their stories. In this episode, Joe and Shawn talk about what they see every year while wandering through Korean burial grounds: traditional mounds and stone guardians, Christian symbols mixed with Confucian motifs, rare Western-style graves, pet burials, collective graves, and the occasional unsettling sign of vandalism. This isn’...
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  Who Should Still Be Driving in Korea? 14.01.2026 59min

  Send us Fan Mail South Korea became a super-aged society in 2025. The effects are showing up everywhere, but nowhere more visibly than on the roads. In this episode, Joe and Shawn talk about the sharp rise in accidents involving elderly drivers, including several deadly incidents in Seoul and beyond. They dig into the numbers, the government’s largely ineffective license return programs, and why simply telling seniors to stop driving ignores deeper issues like poverty, work necessity, and iso...
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  Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone? Part 2 07.01.2026 49min

  Send us Fan Mail Our 300th episode! Pojangmacha didn’t disappear by accident. In Part 2 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, Joe and Shawn trace how Seoul’s soju tents went from survival spaces to cultural nuisances, then to nostalgic props. From Olympic-era crackdowns and hired enforcers to violent evictions, gentrification, and sanitized “sensibility pocha streets,” this episode looks at how modernization erased a vital part of everyday life. This isn’t a story about food. It’s about powe...
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  Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone? Part 1 31.12.2025 54min

  Send us Fan Mail There is no Waffle House in Korea. For decades, the pojangmacha was the last line of defense against going home hungry, broke, or blackout drunk. It was cheap, social, messy, and human. And then it slowly disappeared. In Part 1 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, we trace the origins of the pojangmacha from Japanese yatai and Joseon-era taverns to its explosion after the Korean War. We talk about why these tents mattered, who ran them, what people ate there, and why they b...