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K-Drama School

K-Drama School

Grace Jung

K-Drama School is hosted by comedian, writer and media scholar Grace Jung who analyzes a new Korean TV drama every week and contextualizes it according to its social, cultural and historical significance. Let Grace school you in K-Dramas! Visit kdramaschool.com to learn more. Follow @kdramaschool on Instagram and TikTok!

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Top 10 K-Drama School Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best K-Drama School episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to K-Drama School for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite K-Drama School episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Welcome to episode 1 of K-Drama School podcast! Meet your host Grace Jung (comedian and PhD candidate in Cinema and Media Studies at UCLA) who is here to school you in Korean dramas every week followed by an interview with a guest comedian or scholar. In this episode, Grace analyzes the hit JTBC show SKY Castle (2018), the Korean school system, suicides, helicopter parenting, Christianity and decoloniality with her sidekick Julieta Degese (@dgcjulieta). Berlin-based Austrian comedian Tobias Hauser (@hahahouser) is the special guest. They discuss original sin, Newton's laws of motion, maple syrup fetish and high kicks by Christina Baranski. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Goblin or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God!

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No K-drama today. Grace has a heartfelt message to all K-Drama Schoolers. Grace’s new book K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television is available now for pre-order on Amazon. Release date is April 23, 2024: https://shorturl.at/fAFY1. Please visit K-Drama School’s Patreon page to support the show at http://www.patreon.com/kdramaschool. Visit the K-Drama School Store at http://www.kdramaschool/com/store. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, and TikTok. Visit https://www.kdramaschool.com/ to learn more.

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[Spoiler Alert] Grace welcomes in the Lunar New Year by setting new intentions, including always making an effort to humanity’s good even in light of the mass shooting in Monterey. Her thoughts are with her Asian American community in SoCal. Grace discusses the show Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? (2021, KakaoTV) written by Huh Young-man, Lee Ho-joon and No Jung-wook. Grace calls this chamber piece a K-drama that feels like “tapas”—small and manageable bites that are easy to digest. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit https://www.kdramaschool.com/ to learn more.

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[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show My Princess (MBC, 2011). Kris Jones, PhD Candidate at the UCLA film school kicks us off with some hilarious answers to Grace’s flashcard questions, which Grace recorded on UCLA campus on her graduation day—June 11, 2021. Grace’s guest is Dr. Bambi Haggins who is a media studies professor at the University of California Irvine and the author of Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona in Post-Soul America [https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/laughing-mad/9780813539850]. They discuss the character development of orphans, Lovecraft Country, Insecure, the pressure of being from a working-class family, intergenerational wealth and privilege, Black joy, white fragility in the face of basic difficulty, “affluenza,” the craft of writing, why Louis CK does not get the n-word pass, Tony Hinchcliff and Gary Gulman using the c-word in reference to Asian American comics, their admiration for comics like Maria Bamford, Margaret Cho, Jackie Kashian, the systemic and structural impediments that marginalized individuals suffer from, the reminder of our individual freedom and self-worth in the face of neoliberal powers that be, and our gratitude for the real influencers who are teachers we remember best. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

Grace added 3 upcoming shows in Los Angeles on her website: https://aechjay.com/2021/08/15/shows-this-week/

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[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Misaeng (2014, tvN), and how it exhibits a poor man’s vision of capitalism, and how Yoon Tae-ho struggled in his early years as an artist. This was recorded on Grace’s birthday, and she talks about how she feels being in her mid-thirties, reflecting on her past and present, and how she feels about herself today. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Olivia Hill (@freesampleolivia on Instagram). They discuss comedy and COVID-19, makeup tutorials, content creation, being intentional, singing karoke while tone-deaf, not drinking alcohol, the private funny memories we carry in our own minds, confidence, creating an oracle deck, The Artist’s Way, and the catharsis of taking a friend out to a fancy dinner each month. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

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[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Curtain Call (KBS, 2022) starring Kang Ha-neul and Ha Ji-won. Grace appreciates the potential incest romance the show dangles, as well as Ha Ji-won finally playing a strong female character on TV. Grace breaks down what a classic K-drama melodrama is made of. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit https://www.kdramaschool.com/ to learn more.

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[Spoiler Alert] Grace apologizes for the delayed episode. She’s in New York for film festival events and a film shoot. Things just got to be too much. Today’s show is Extracurricular (2020, Netflix). Sorry, but no monologue. She’ll make up for it next week. Grace’s guest is Chicago-based comedian Derek Strong (@epiccheatdaypodcast on Instagram). They discuss addiction, food, vice, comedy, Los Angeles, and being former New Yorkers. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

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[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Worlds Within (2008, KBS) written by Noh Hee-kyung, and how the show addresses struggles of female TV directors trying to make it in a male-dominated industry in Korea, and Noh’s meta storytelling on the show by including a writer character, and the upsides and downsides of a tightly-knit community that works more like a dysfunctional family. Grace’s guest is Teruko Nakajima (@terukonakajima on Instagram) who is currently playing in her very moving one-woman solo show “Made in America.” Grace admires Teruko’s mission statement behind the show, which is “a love letter to America,” and how important it is to be mindful of the privilege and abundance that we as Americans live with in this country, where so few of us are ready to write love letters to the nation at this time. Grace also reflects on how her own immigration to this country has impacted her for the better, and lets this lesson sink in deeper as she talks to Teruko about her journey while working on “Made in America.” They discuss mental health and East Asia’s slowness in this regard, sexual abuse and trauma (*trigger warning: they discuss child molestation), the process of writing one’s traumas, compassion in the face of victimhood, as well as finding peace and gratitude in the midst of agonizing chaos. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

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[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Squid Game (Netflix, 2021) which is streaming exclusively on Netflix. Grace predicts an Emmy and/or Golden Globe nod for Netflix next year due to Squid Game. She then breaks down Squid Game’s critique and deep analysis of neoliberalism, the show’s sexism (a common problem caused by most male Korean filmmakers), Lee Jung-jae’s stardom, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s sly way of exposing his filmography on the show by inserting Gong Yoo and Lee Byung-hun as cameos, and Squid Game’s critique of global hierarchy, capitalist patriarchy and white supremacy. Grace’s guest is Hamburg-based Vietnamese German comedian Mai My (@maimycomedy on Instagram). They discuss bad living situations as teenagers, massage requests used as sexual assault, friends who saved their lives, media as trauma-bonding and reliving trauma, and mother complexes.

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[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Glitch (2022, Netflix) directed by filmmaker Roh Deok and written by Jin Han-sae who also wrote Extracurricular and. It stars Jeon Yeo-been and Nana from the K-pop group After School and the series Mask Girl. Grace observes the show’s exploration of UFOs, aliens, queerness, and objective/subjective reality. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit https://www.kdramaschool.com/ to learn more.

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FAQ

How many episodes does K-Drama School have?

K-Drama School currently has 195 episodes available.

What topics does K-Drama School cover?

The podcast is about Comedy, Podcasts, Comedy Interviews, After Shows and Tv & Film.

What is the most popular episode on K-Drama School?

The episode title 'K-Drama School - Ep 1: SKY Castle & Korean Siestas with Tobias Hauser' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on K-Drama School?

The average episode length on K-Drama School is 53 minutes.

How often are episodes of K-Drama School released?

Episodes of K-Drama School are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of K-Drama School?

The first episode of K-Drama School was released on Jan 1, 2021.

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