Korean. American. Podcast

This week Jun and Daniel discuss a few of the biggest headlines in Korean news during the month of May 2024: Min Hee Jin’s ongoing legal battle with HYBE, Naver being asked by the Japanese government to give up control of LINE, famous celebrities Psick Univ and Kang Hyung-wook getting canceled, and the Korean government’s attempted ban on overseas direct purchasing. Why does there appear to be such a stark contrast between how Koreans are reacting to Min Hee Jin, compared to non-Koreans? What are some common criticisms that Westerners have of Min Hee Jin, and do they resonate with Koreans? What is LINE, and why is the Japanese government pushing for Naver to give up control over the product they built? Do our hosts agree on the fairness of such a move? How does this compare to the US threatening to ban TikTok unless it’s parent company ByteDance gives up control? Or is it more similar to another decision the Korean government has made regarding a foreign digital service? How are geopolitics playing into this? What exactly is overseas direct purchasing, and why is the Korean government banning it for certain products? What is underlying this decision by the Korean government? What is a customs number, and why is it such a foreign concept for most Americans? What is Psick Univ and what caused their recent backlash? Who is Kang Hyung-wook, and what is the allegation against him? Why is cancel culture in general seemingly much stronger in Korea?
If you're interested in any of these questions, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! Also in this episode, our hosts reveal why they each prefer purchasing their Apple products in the US, as well as having a good laugh about the meaning of the Korean term for childhood friends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!
Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862
Follow us on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/
https://twitter.com/korampodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcast
Questions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected]

This week Jun and Daniel interview their former coworkers who have been living in Korea but are moving back to America. This episode is the first in our “iyagi” (“story” or “conversation” in Korean) series, in which we interview guests about their time living in Korea. Today, our conversations cover such questions as: What brought them to Korea in the first place? What are the first foods that they crave after landing in Korea and America? How do our guests define ‘home’, and where does it feel most like it? What are the top things our guests have come to appreciate about Korea? Does our American feel comfortable leaving their laptop while going to the bathroom at Starbucks? What are some misconceptions that people have about Korea and America? What is something our guests miss most about America after living in Korea for some time? What would it take for our guests to consider settling down in Korea long-term? What gifts do our guests bring with them when they visit Korea or America? What was the first bit of “culture shock” our guests faced in Korea? What bit of Korean culture would our guests like to bring back to America? What was their most memorable experience while in Korea? How does gym culture differ between Korea and America? How does parenting culture differ between the two countries?

If you're interested in any of these questions, tune in to hear Daniel, Jun, Rae, and E discuss all this and more!
Guest Bio
E: Born and raised in the USA. East Asian heritage, but not Korean. Together with his wife, tried life abroad. Ended up in Korea for 2 years. Works in software.
Rae: Rae was born and raised in Korea but always felt that “just being a Korean” doesn’t do justice to her identity. She ended up living 3 different continents and learning 4 different languages in her 20s and is currently located in South Korea with her Korean American husband and son after 10 years of hiatus in the US. Inspired by her personal background, she works as a qualitative researcher helping product builders understand their users. She is planning to move back to the US this summer.

Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasaeng_fan

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!
Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862
Follow us on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/
https://twitter.com/korampodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcast
Questions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected]

This week Jun and Daniel wax nostalgic and take a walk down memory lane as they recount various TV shows from their respective childhoods in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. From children’s cartoons to daytime soaps, Daniel discovers that Korean and American youth had quite a great deal of overlap. What is AFKN, and how did it enable Korean youth to get access to even more American TV shows than some American kids? What was the Sunday morning ritual for kids in Korea growing up in the 80s and 90s? What were the popular Korean cartoons from that time? What K-pop group was the origin of modern day idol culture and fandom? What US shows found outsized success in Korea? What TV shows and other forms of entertainment in Korea were inspired by shows in the US, and vice versa? And for the 90s kid who grew up in America, we know you’ll enjoy the nostalgia that comes from hearing the letters T.G.I.F.
If you're interested in any of these questions, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! In this episode, Daniel and Jun show great restraint by not (completely!) going down tangents related to Korea-Germany connections, K-pop, K-dramas, and famous memes. Additionally, hear Daniel go on a rant about the pitfalls of having a very common name, and learn who was Jun’s favorite Friends character. And yes, don’t worry, Daniel is already quite embarrassed by his glaring omission of The Simpsons, amongst many other inaccuracies, and apologizes in advance to those who listen all the way through to the bitter end.
Thank you Matthew Perry for all the memories and laughs; you were there for us, and connected so many people across the globe.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!
Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862
Follow us on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/
https://twitter.com/korampodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcast
Questions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected]

This week Jun and Daniel discuss Korean culture through a recently trending popular K-drama: Lovely Runner (Episode 1). This time slip, romantic comedy drama series bounces between modern day and 2008 Korea. Our hosts watch the first episode and exchange notes of various cultural nuances and differences that stood out to them. What’s interesting about the title that a Korean might note? Is it right that American media titles get transliterated to Korean, whereas Korean media gets translations? What does fish food have to do with drama viewing culture in Korea? What are some cameos by very famous Koreans that go completely over Daniel’s head? What is a misconception Daniel had about sasaeng fans (사생팬) from a previous episode? What are some other common things in Korean fandom culture that Daniel finds shocking? Why is email not used in Korea, like it is in America? How is mental health thought about in Korea? How is the accessibility of Korea for people in wheelchairs, compared to America? Why do Koreans wear umbrellas when it's snowing? What are some similarities and differences between classroom environments in Korea and America? Why do Koreans frequently not communicate in a straightforward fashion? How are conceptions of living situations different?
If you're interested in any of these questions, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! Also in this episode, Daniel shares why he enjoyed watching this drama despite it being heavily targeted towards women, Jun nerds out about the architecture of a popular site in Seoul, and Daniel discovers one of Jun’s boomer tendencies.
NOTE: While this is not an episode review per se, as we focus more on cultural aspects depicted in the drama rather than the plot and characters of the drama itself, this episode still may contain spoilers. If you have not watched Lovely Runner Episode 1 and do not want anything spoiled, consider yourself warned!

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!
Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862
Follow us on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/
https://twitter.com/korampodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcast
Questions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected]

This week Jun and Daniel interview Nelson, a third-culture kid who was born and raised in Brazil before attending college in the US and eventually settling in Korea. They explore his unique journey navigating multiple cultural identities, from experiencing racism as an Asian in Brazil to voluntarily serving in the Korean Marines during a college gap year. Nelson shares how being an "outsider" everywhere ultimately became his superpower, allowing him to bridge different cultural groups. They discuss a wide range of topics including what life was like in a Brazilian international school, cultural differences in dating, gift-giving customs, military service, and Nelson's unexpected rise to social media fame in Korea.

If you're interested in hearing a fresh perspective on Korean culture from someone who approaches it with a "bridge-builder" mindset, or learning about the rich complexity of Korean diaspora experiences beyond Korean Americans, tune in to hear Daniel, Jun and Nelson discuss all this and more! Also in this episode, Daniel shares his struggles with maintaining a fresh perspective on familiar surroundings, Jun explains why Koreans might be hesitant to greet strangers, and Nelson reveals his theory about how societal environments shape our behavior more than we'd like to admit.

Guest Bio

Nelson is a third culture kid trying to build bridges.
He's working on an app that teaches Korean and Japanese:
https://teuida.page.link/cho

You can find him on:
http://instagram.com/sochourner
http://tiktok.com/@sochourner

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!
Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862
Follow us on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/
https://twitter.com/korampodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcast
Questions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected]