Understanding Korea, One Story at a Time Podcast
Episodes
🎧Never Mother Alone
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode takes the long way around one deceptively simple idea: after birth, mothers need care.We begin with Korea’s sanhujori (산후조...
🎧How Korea Holds the Mother After Birth
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a companion audio to this week’s Substack newsletter on sanhujori (산후조리), Korean postpartum care. In it, I explore why Korea...
🎧 Three Korean Books That Refuse the Supermom Myth
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode is a book review, but it’s also a thank-you letter to the people doing the invisible work of care.It begins with my recent “...
The Warm Floor Theory of Korea
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why do Koreans call boiling soup “refreshing”? Why does warm water show up in K-dramas before advice ever does? In this companion episode to my ne...
🎧 Warmth Rules: The Korean Logic Behind “No Ice, Please”
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Quick audio noteA small behind-the-scenes update: I used to record this podcast with a clip-on mic plugged into my phone, sitting in my walk-in closet...
🎧 The Muscle Memory of Democracy: Gwangju, Minnesota, and the Work That Follows
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is the companion episode to this week’s newsletter, but it goes deeper into what I couldn’t fully hold on the page.I talk about what “Gwang...
A Voice Memo for When the News Steals Your Breath
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Editing this episode, I noticed my voice sounds a little different.Maybe it is because my sleep has been shaky lately, with panic creeping back in at ...
🎧 Podcast: The Baby Expo That Sells Fear (With Free Samples)
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
“Wait and see” sounds calm in English. In Korean parenting culture, it can feel like negligence.In this episode, I’m introducing a Korean book t...
Distance Zero: Why Korean Care is a Contact Sport
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do first when your child gets sick?Check symptoms, open the patient portal, set timers, preserve bedtime routines?When my 7-year-old spike...
🎧 Podcast: Fever Dreams and Protest Streets | Moving Beyond Korea's Highlight Reel
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!This is my first episode of 2026, and it comes as a companion to this week’s Substack essay. It’s n...
🎧 Podcast: Two Desires, One Nation (Part 4) : After the Miracle, What Now?
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the audio “director’s commentary” to my latest Substack essay in the K-Book Uncovered series, where we have been walking through...
🎧 Podcast: The Debt That Doesn't Expire (Yu Si-min’s History Part 3)
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast episode is the audio companion to my newsletter essay:“Two Desires, One Nation, Part 3: The City That Would Not Stay Silent”Read firs...
🎧 Podcast: The Barracks State & The Boy Who Refused to Bow (Yu Si-min’s History Part 2)
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, everyone.Last week, we stood at “Ground Zero.” This week, we enter the “Barracks State.”In this week’s newsletter (Part 2), we covere...
🎧 Podcast: Twins Born in the Ruins (Reviewing Yu Si-min’s My History of Contemporary Korea)
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello everyone! Last month, I started a monthly K-Book Uncovered series, where I explore essential Korean books that haven’t yet been translated int...
🎧 Podcast: The Dictator’s Playlist: Censorship, Sex, and Sports in Authoritarian South Korea
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into South Korea’s turbulent cultural history under authoritarian rule. This episode unpacks how dictators used censorship alongside the 3S Pol...
🎧 Podcast: A Nation in Uniform (+ a few updates)
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Nation in Uniform: How Emergency Became Everyday in South KoreaSummaryAfter the 1968 shocks, South Korea rebuilt everyday life around emergency. Thi...
🎧 Podcast: Governance by Fear (and stay healthy out there!)
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Original Post- 33(23). GOVERNANCE BY FEAR — When "National Security" Became the Perfect ExcuseIn 1968, real North Korean commandos almost assassinat...
A Tuesday surprise in your inbox (…and my actual voice)
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why this sounds differentI’m rebuilding the podcast to feel more personal. No more auto-generated audio. You’re hearing this in my own voice. Post...
Some personal news and an exciting update
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, curious minds,This week I share a personal update, what is changing with the newsletter, and how you can support the work.Starting next week, I...
31(21). The Security Prison: The Mirror Called “North Korea,” and the Politics of Controlled Memory
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
31(21). The Security Prison: North Korea as Mirror, Memory as WeaponHow Korea’s Cold War became a domestic surveillance system—and how writers fou...
30(20). How Trauma Built Modern Korea: From "Ppalli-Ppalli" to the Miracle on the Han River
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
30(20). How Trauma Built Modern Korea: From "Ppalli-Ppalli" to the Miracle on the Han RiverThe postwar survival algorithm—speed, education, real est...
29(19).The Korean War Never Ended: Family Trauma Across Generations
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 29(19). The Korean War Never Ended: Family Trauma Across Generations -The true cost of separated families, silence, and survival in modern KoreaTh...
28(18). The Three-Year Inferno: Confronting the Brutality of the Korean War
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 28 | The Three-Year Inferno — Civilian Loss, Suppressed Mourning, and an Unfinished WarTo understand modern Korea, you have to walk through ...
27(17). How a Pencil Line Split Korea
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How a Pencil Line Split Korea: Why Korea’s division is key to understanding South Korea’s democracyDisclosure: This episode was produced with assi...
26(16).Inside the Korean “We (Uri),” Part 3
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why isn’t Korea a nation of cynics after invasion, colonization, war, and dictatorships? In this final episode of the series, we look at how the Kor...
25(15). Inside the Korean “We (Uri),” Part 2
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Inside the Korean “We (Uri),” Part 2 — People First: Radical Humanism at the Heart of Korea’s “We” (uri)We continue our series on Kim Tae-...
24(14). Inside the Korean “We (Uri),” Part 1
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Glossary of Key Korean Terms (with Hangul, romanization, and English meaning): 우리 (uri) – “we”; a fused sense of shared destiny and belongin...
23(13).Hongik Ingan (홍익인간), Korean Democracy’s Oldest New Idea
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Original post: https://yoonjiwon.substack.com/p/hongik-ingan-korean-democracyAn origin myth that starts with helping—not conquering—became Korea’...
22(12). So, Is South Korea Going Extinct or What?
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Internet Has Pronounced Korea DeadIf you only went by what you see online, you might think South Korea is already gone. A 13-million-view YouTube ...
21(11). Supernatural Checks and Balances
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A ghost knocks on a magistrate’s door to file a complaint. But she’s not the only one. This week, we dive into Korea’s supernatural civil servic...
20 (10). Why Korean Ghosts Demand Democratic Justice
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forget jump scares—Korean ghosts file official petitions.In this episode, we dive into the haunting world of Korean folktales, where spirits don’t...
19 (9). A Royal Screen Behind KPop Demon Hunters—and the Cosmic Order It Represents
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do a 600-year-old Korean painting and a K-pop idol slaying demons on Netflix have in common? Everything.In this episode, we uncover the surprisin...
18 (8).Turning Pain into Power 2: The Power of K-Storytelling from the Japanese Occupation
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the emotionally powerful world of Korean storytelling from the Japanese colonial era (1910–1945).Why do Korean books, ...
17(7).Turning Pain into Power 1: The Unstoppable Emotional Force of Korean Storytelling
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Turning Pain into Power 1: The Emotional Force of Korean StorytellingWhy does Korean media feel so intense—especially when it dives into histor...
16(6). The People Own This Land: A Revolution That Never Ended
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do bamboo spears and light sticks have in common?In Korea, they both defend democracy.In this episode, we trace Korea’s radical idea that “th...
15(5). The Roar of a Nation — How the March 1st Movement Forged Modern Korean Identity
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it look like when an entire nation stands up at once?In this episode, we go back to March 1, 1919—the day millions of Koreans, from studen...
14 (4) The Korean Instinct to Save the Nation: From Cigarettes to Gold Rings
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What would you give to save your country? A ring? A medal? A pack of cigarettes?If you were Korean, chances are, you’d say yes—and so would your n...
13 (3)🧨 Stolen Nation, Unbroken Spirit: How Korea’s Lost Sovereignty Sparked a Century of Resistance
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before Korean democracy lit up with candlelight protests and peaceful revolutions, it was forged in darkness—during one of the most traumatic chapte...
12(2). Like a Phoenix: The Rebirth of Korean Democracy in 2025
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take for a democracy to save itself?In this episode, I share the real-time story of how Koreans rose up—again. When a sitting president...
11 (1).🌱 The Root of the Matter: Why Koreans Expect Their Leaders to Serve
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Korea doesn’t wait for bad leaders to finish their terms—Koreans remove them. But why? In this episode, I explore the cultural and historical foun...
10. The Medical School Fever That's Reshaping an Entire Nation
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is South Korea raising doctors—or just chasing safety?In this episode, we dive into South Korea’s full-blown obsession with medical school—and h...
9. Korea's 'Iron Rice Bowl': The Rise (and Fall) of Civil Service and Teaching Careers
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when job security becomes a national obsession?In this episode, we trace South Korea’s decades-long search for the ultimate stable care...
8.The IMF Crisis and South Korea’s Hyper-Competitive Childhood
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a country faces economic collapse—then passes the fear down to its children?In this episode, we explore how the 1997 IMF crisis di...
7.🎓 Shut Up and Do Math: Inside Korea’s Childhood Race to the Top
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Shut Up and Do Math: Inside Korea’s Childhood Race to the TopPart 7 of the “Growing Up in Korea” seriesEver heard of a place where English ...
6.Your Toddler Might Be Late—for College Prep in South Korea
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 New Episode: Korea’s Preschool Pressure Cooker—The “4-Year-Old Exam” and BeyondEver feel like kindergarten is getting a little too seriou...
5.The Royal Grind: How Joseon Dynasty Princes Studied (or Suffered?)
21 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
📚 Growing Up in Korea | Ep. 5Ever wonder where Korea’s intense education culture began? Long before cram schools, Joseon crown princes were memor...
4. Why Koreans Study So Hard: A Journey Back to the Joseon Dynasty's Gwageo
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if I told you Korea’s academic pressure didn’t start with private academies or college entrance exams—but with a 600-year-old test so bruta...
3. Of the King, by the Scholar-Officials, for the People: How Joseon's Radical Vision Shaped Korea’s Academic Drive
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧If you’ve ever wondered why Korea is so obsessed with education, this episode goes deep into the origin story—one rooted not in modern societa...
2.Past as Prologue: Understanding a Nation Through Its Historical and Cultural DNA
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Why do Korean parents push their kids so hard—and is it really heartless? In this episode, we explore the cultural and historical forces behind...
1. Growing Up in Korea: But First, Why Korea?
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 What does it really mean to grow up in Korea—a country of stunning success, crushing pressure, and profound contradictions? This episode unpack...