Korea Deconstructed

When you live and work in Korea, it's hard to escape talk around BTS. Their comeback concert in Gwanghwamun generated a huge amount of media attention, both positive and negative. Moreover, the use of traditional elements such as Arirang and Gyeongbuk Palace generated both national pride and a sense of domestic fatigue. I got a group of young adults who have grown up with BTS to talk about their reactions to the showcase, the album, the psychological pressure the group face, and the practice of streaming and fandom in K-pop culture. I am joined by two young Korean adults, Esha and Namu, as well as two international students living and studying here in Korea, Violet and Alina. Discussion Outline 0:00 Reacting to the Album 13:48 No. 29 and Korean Philosophy 23:56 The Comeback Concert 46:00 The Psychological Pressure of Being an Idol 55:15 Fan Labour and Streaming 1:07:30 Korean Nationalism and Culture Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert, Daniela Körppen Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 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 social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected]. ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @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

Why do people join cults? The reality is seemingly very complex. In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, I sit down with Peter Daley, a long-term resident of Korea and someone who has spent decades observing and documenting the world of fringe religious movements and cultic groups. Peter Daley is an Australian who has lived in Korea since 2002. He worked at Keimyung University in Daegu for eight years, teaching English for six years and spending two years working in Keimyung's Office of International Affairs. He has been teaching English at Sookmyung Women's University since 2012. Find him online: https://peterdaley.net/strangerthings/ https://internationalculticstudies.org/ (ICSA) Discussion Outline 0:00 Introduction to Cults 7:00 The Unification Church (통일교) 13:00 Church or Cult? 20:00 Who Do Cults Approach? 23:56 Shincheonji 29:00 Christianity 37:20 Influence in Korean Society 40:55 Aum Shinrikyo 46:50 Former Members of Cults 56:30 Scientology 1:06:00 The Necessity of Empathy 1:11:20 Getting People Out of Cults 1:17:02 Are Cults Getting Bigger or Smaller in Korea? 1:20:10 How to Spot Cults? 1:25:55 Mass Weddings Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert, Daniela Körppen Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 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 social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected]. ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @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

How was North Korea, a state that famously mandates atheism, built on a foundation of Christian fervor? In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Cheng, the Wall Street Journal's China Bureau Chief, to discuss his new book, Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult. We trace the journey of Pyongyang from the "Jerusalem of the East" to the center of the world's most rigid cult of personality. From the collapse of the Joseon Dynasty's caste system and the arrival of missionaries like Samuel Moffett to Kim Il Sung's own Christian upbringing, we explore how the linguistic and structural tools of the church were co-opted to create a "God on Earth." We cover the Pyongyang Revival and the "Mystical" texts of early Korean Christianity. How the oppression of the Joseon era made the peninsula fertile ground for a new faith. The "Exodus South" and the influential figures like Cho Man-sik. Why Kim Il Sung remains the most pivotal—and misunderstood—figure in modern Korean history. The Book: https://koreanmessiah.com/ Find Jonathan onlie Twitter: @jchengwsj LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cheng-546b703/ Discussion Outline 0:00 Introduction 5:15 The Joseon Dynasty 11:25 The Erasure of Kija 14:45 Christianity's Arrival in Korea 19:25 Samuel Moffett and the Jerusalem of the East 30:00 The Figures of Pyongyang's Church 37:15 Jeonggamnok (정감록, 鄭鑑錄) 43:50 Kim Il Sung's Christian Upbringing 50:00 Cho Man Sik (조만식) - the Gandhi of Korea 56:00 The Legend of Kim Il Sung 59:40 The Christian Exodus South 1:04:25 Cults in Modern Korea 1:16:25 Recommendations Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert, Daniela Körppen Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 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 social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected]. ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @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

What happens when you take the wrong camera to a Day6 K-pop concert? In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we explore the recent "SEAbling War". Discussing viral memes to deeply uncomfortable conversations about race and history, our four guests demonstrate why this is about much more than just social media comments. For them, it's also a lived experience and connected to their own identity as individuals bridging multiple cultures. The Guests 1) Gabby https://www.instagram.com/gabrielaimanuels/ 2) Yelynn 3) Dabin https://www.instagram.com/dabinnjung 4) Nuri https://www.instagram.com/nurichoii/ Discussion Outline 0:00 Introduction 3:25 What Happened at the Day6 Concert? 7:30 The SEAblings Internet War Begins 11:27 Nouveau-riche Nationalism 15:30 Lived Experience in Korea 19:15 The Influence of Media: Racket Boys (라켓소년단) 23:50 Online Behavior 33:58 Indonesian Culture in Korea 53:50 Looking Forward Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert, Daniela Körppen Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 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 social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at [email protected]. Connect with us: ▶ Get in touch: [email protected] ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed Listen to Korea Deconstructed ▶ 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

What does it mean to be queer in a society often defined by its rigid traditions, colonial scars, and rapid neoliberal transformation? In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we sit down with Dr. Samuel Perry from Brown University to challenge the common misconception that LGBT issues are a "new" or "Western" import to the Korean peninsula. Through his new anthology, A Century of Queer Korean Fiction, Dr. Perry reveals a long-standing tradition of diverse sexualities and gender expressions that have navigated censorship, war, and dictatorship for over a hundred years. We explore the coding of literature during oppressive eras, the dangers of using Western yardsticks to measure Korean resistance, and how the rise of neoliberalism has impacted social visibility versus true acceptance. From figures like Yi Gwangsu to the gritty, three-dimensional characters of modern writers like Sang Young Park, we explore a literary history that is as complex but, at the same time, beautiful. About the Guest: Samuel Perry is an Associate Professor of East Asian Studies at Brown University. A specialist in Japanese and Korean history, culture, and literature, he is the author of Recasting Red Culture in Proletarian Japan: Childhood, Korea, and the Historical Avant-garde. His most recent work includes the dual-language anthologies A Century of Queer Korean Fiction and 한국의 퀴어 문학: 한 세기 (2023). Public Profiles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emersonius/ Publications: https://sites.brown.edu/samuelperry/publications/ Brown Profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/sperry Discussion Outline 0:00 Introduction 7:00 Queer Issues are Not Modern 13:30 Yi Kwangsu and Colonial Queerness 18:30 Does Modernity Oppress Queerness? 25:00 What is Korean Literature? 31:00 Sang Young Park 44:00 Yi Seoyoung 48:00 Changing Language 54:00 The Future of Queer Literature Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 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 social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for two decades. He can be reached at [email protected]. ▶ Get in touch: [email protected] ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @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