Korea Deconstructed

Can Korean people speak English? That was the question we explored in this discussion. Three young women studying at Seoul Women's University in South Korea talked about their own experiences of learning a foreign language and how it ultimately became something more than just education or study.

Hyun Minjung is a second-year student in the Department of Child Studies

Eo Gyeongin is a first-year student in the Department of Applied Food System

Jeon Yunseo is a first-year student in the Department of Journalism and Media

This episode again featuring Jeon Yunseo

Find them on Instagram

Yunseo: @y_jeon_s

Minjung: @llovnj

Gyeongin: @djurbyrfish

Discussion Outline

0:00 Encountering English for the First Time

7:50 Was English ever hard?

13:35 What kind of English Accent?

25:45 Learning English in Korea

34:15 Is there a Socio-Economic Aspect to English in Korea?

40:50 Having an English Name?

48:14 Korean Celebrities Speaking English

53:30 Interacting with Foreigners

1:01:20 Swearing in English

1:07:13 Is English more Democratic than Korean?

1:14:28 Would you Date Someone Who can't Speak English?

1:23:00 How to Learn English Online?

1:30:50 Advice for Learning English

1:47:40 Changing Korean Identity

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: Fighting by Disorientalz (https://www.instagram.com/disorientalz/)

▶ Recorded at 허브 36.5: https://www.instagram.com/the_story_from_you/

ID:Earth is a singer, songwriter, and music producer from Seoul, Korea. She sings about human civilization, existence, birth, and the Earth with her music providing a fantastic backdrop for these explorations. Her latest album Space Station was released on December 12, 2023. We sat down with her to learn more about her music, her life, and being an artist in South Korea. ID:Earth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamidearth/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCVo9uVMP5JWUfXQh_hUDK0g

Her latest album Space Station: https://www.melon.com/artist/song.htm?artistId=2622503

Discussion Outline*

0:00 The Birth of ID: Earth

14:18 "Aliens"

22:18 Finding a Minimalist Sound

27:18 Being an Artist in South Korea

35:23 "Fire"

41:57 Writing Choruses

48:18 Creating OSTs for Dramas and Movies

1:03:21 "Sky Where You Are"

1:06:40 People's Brains

1:10:37 ID:Earth's Favourite Song

1:17:25 What ID:Earth is Listening to These Days

1:21:34 ID:Earth's Plans for 2024

1:26:00 Advice for Young Artists

1:28:22 Message to the Fans

*Due to copyright reasons on audio platforms, we had to remove the audio of the 3 songs we played in the studio. You can find the tracks on YouTube or anywhere else.

This episode again featuring Jeon Yunseo

Find her on Instagram: @y_jeon_s

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: Fighting by Disorientalz (https://www.instagram.com/disorientalz/)

▶ Recorded at 허브 36.5: https://www.instagram.com/the_story_from_you/

Having just finished a semester teaching 9 different classes at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University, I thought I'd end the year sharing some of the theories and thoughts I've been exploring with my students. This includes David Matsumoto's work on culture, Han Byung Chul's explorations of modernity and psychology, and Mark Fisher's assertion that we are witnessing the slow cancellation of the future. These three frameworks seem to resonate with the students and, whether they agree with them or not, they all seem to have taken them on-board and understood them.

There was much more I wanted to include here, including the rice theory of culture, explorations of cultural appropriation and pronouns in Korea, multiculturalism, the LGBTGQ community and contact hypothesis, but time got the better of me during the finals season. I'll return to these again at some point in 2024.

I have a lot of fantastic guests already lined-up for the new year so normal service will resume very shortly. This was just a special little way of saying thank you and Merry Christmas.

Discussion Outline

0:00 David Matsumoto

23:00 Han Byung Chul

42:30 Was Korean Modernity Worth it?

52:55 Mark Fisher

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: Fighting by Disorientalz (https://www.instagram.com/disorientalz/)

▶ Recorded at 허브 36.5: https://www.instagram.com/the_story_from_you/

Koryo Saram refers to the ethnic Koreans who migrated to the Russian Far East and Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The migration was mainly a result of economic opportunities and political instability in the Korean Peninsula during that period. But beyond the political and historical existence, there are people. Daniil and Yona are two of these people both trying to find their way in modern Korean society. Their identities, language skills, and feelings towards their homeland are very different, yet they relate to each other. With the help of Yunseo, we explored what it means to be a Koryo Saram and discovered much along the way.

Find them online/instagram

Pak Yona: @pkyo1

Daniil: @dnlyeux

Yunseo: @y_jeon_s

고려인 Youth Organization: https://www.instagram.com/ks.youthwave/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

대한고려인협회: https://www.instagram.com/koryosaraminkorea/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Overseas Koreans: https://www.okocc.or.kr/portal_en/global/okf_webzine.do

Discussion Outline

0:00 Introducing the Koryo Saram

25:00 Leaving Moscow: War and Politics

33:15 University and Visas

39:42 Language and Culture

45:30 Appearance and Visuals

53:33 Famous Koryo Saram in Pop Culture

59:20 Multicultural Korea

1:05:00 The Geography of Koryo Saram

1:11:30 North Korea

1:22:50 Misconceptions about Koryo Saram

1:42:50 Final Observations

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: Fighting by Disorientalz (https://www.instagram.com/disorientalz/)

▶ Recorded at 허브 36.5: https://www.instagram.com/the_story_from_you/

Bart van Genugten is a Dutchman with a passion for people, history, stories, and 분위기 (atmosphere). His recent project, Welcome to my Dong, looks to explore all of Seoul's 467 dongs (neighborhoods) and it has proved incredibly successful online, with millions of views, countless stories, and a host of well wishers. Bart is keeping history alive amidst a rapidly changing urban culture and it is no surprise that many of his greatest fans are Koreans themselves.

During his journey, Bart is also discovering himself. Coming to terms with mental health, online identity, his Dutch family, and his place in Korean society. He is also a published author, cowriting a book (직항은 없다) with his wife, 김휘아, describing his experiences in Pyongyang with his father.

Find Bart online

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iGoBart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igobart_/

Discussion

0:00 Korean life and drinking culture

18:10 Welcome to my Dong

42:13 The ethics of filming people

45:10 Online success

1:00:45 The people of Seoul

1:13:00 Does Hallyu help?

1:17:26 North Korea

1:35:55 Subtitles and Content

1:41:49 Working with your wife

1:52:28 Fans of the channel

1:55:53 Mental health

2:06:50 The beauty of Korea

Thanks to 전윤서 for some help with this episode

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: Fighting by Disorientalz (https://www.instagram.com/disorientalz/)

Jasmyn Kim is doing a PhD at Yonsei University in the Department of Sport Industry Studies, she is a pole dance instructor at Tara Pole Dance in Jong-ro, and she also teaches a Yoga course at Yonsei University. Her academic research focuses on body image and the gendered nature of pole dance as a modern Korean fitness phenomenon, and the physical and psychological effects it can have on women. In this conversation, we explore how and why pole dance has become so popular in South Korea and, in the process, transcended the reputation it had in the 1990s. If I spoke a bit too much during this one, please blame it on the coffee. I'm always working hard to become a better listener, host, and conversationalist, so please be patient with me. I'm trying.

Jasmyn Online

- Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jazzyxbelle

- Tara Pole Dance: https://www.instagram.com/tarapoledance

- Academic Research:

https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2022.2138511 https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2022.2132252

Discussion Outline

0:00 Pole dancing

10:00 Why did it get popular?

17:00 Who is pole dancing?

32:50 Cultural aspects of pole

37:00 Academia and the pole

43:05 Gender and Pole Dancing

55:40 Identity and Korea

1:17:25 Yoga

1:38:30 Social media and life

1:50:20 Dealing with body image

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: Savage Penguin by David Tizzard

Although this started as a conversation about Gwangju and Professor Don Baker's experiences there starting in 1971, including witnessing the aftermath of the massacre in 1980, we quickly understood there was much more for us to explore. This includes Don's impressions of Kim Dae-jung, gender and women in the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's historical relationship with China, Confucianism and ancestor worship, the effects of Japanese colonization, and the field of Korean Studies more broadly.

It was completely spontaneous, but I also noted the following people and their work referenced throughout this conversation, demonstrating the depth and breadth of Don's knowledge: Alexis Dudden, Dave C Kang, Alexander Woodside, Jisoo Kim, Hyaeweol Choi, Carter Eckert, Andre Schmid, Jahyun Kim Haboush, Gregory Henderson, Robert Carlin, Eugene Park, Michael Seth, John Jorgensen, Kim Sun Joo, BR Myers, Bruce Cumings, James Palais, Mark Peterson, John Duncan, Steve Shields, and David Dolinger.

Despite knowing the tragedy and violence taking place in Gwangju, Don snuck into the city to find his friends and understand what was really happening. His descriptions of the attacks and murder that took place in Gwangju are heartbreaking to listen to. And through all of this, he nevertheless finishes with words of hope and positivity.

Discussion Outline

0:00 Unpacking Gwangju

6:00 Kim Dae-jung

10:20 1970s Korea

20:50 On Confucianism

24:30 Korean Studies

30:00 The Joseon Dynasty

38:50 Japanese Colonization and Collaboration

51:55 Korean Studies and Factions

1:08:50 Confucianism vs Catholicism (Ancestor Worship)

1:15:30 The Assassination of Park Chung-hee 1979

1:21:40 The Gwangju Massacre 1980

1:47:00 American Involvement in Gwangju

1:55:30 Representations of Gwangju

2:03:46 Conclusions on Life and Korea

Dr. Baker's Books

• A Korean Confucian's Advice on How to Be Moral: Tasan Chŏng Yagyong's Reading of the Zhongyong (University of Hawaii Press, 2023)
• Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Korea (University of Hawaii Press) with Franklin Rausch. May, 2017
• Korean Spirituality (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2008)
• Chosŏn Hugi Yugyo wa Ch'ŏnjugyo ŭi Taerip [The Confucian Confrontation with Catholicism in the Latter Half of the Chosŏn Dynasty] (Seoul: Iljogak Publishing Co., 1997)

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube:/davidtizzard

▶ 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/

▶ Music: https://www.instagram.com/disorientalz/

Steve first came to Korea in 1975 and continues his life-long love of the land of the morning calm. He has been a missionary, pastor, and leadership development officer. He has years of experience in translations and editing, has several published books and dozens of scholarly papers to his credit, mostly in theology and the religious history of the United States. He is a life member of Royal Asiatic Society Korea, served on the board of directors for many years, two terms as vice president, and is now serving a second term as president.

Discussion Outline

0:00 Coming to Korea in the 1970s

15:00 On the Korean Language

27:00 Life under Park Chung-hee

36:30 Changing economic conditions

51:20 Who was Park Chung-hee?

1:08:00 Choi Kyu-ha and life after Park

1:27:40 The Royal Asiatic Society

1:52:50 Christianity and Korea

2:30:20 The Youth of Korea

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/co/podcast...

▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com...

▶ Music: Radical Gary - K-Invisible

This episode contains a lot of explicit language. If you are interested, the YouTube video features hundreds of photos of the bands, venues, and people we talk about.

Trash is a musician, designer, and tattoo artist who has been part of the Korean punk scene for two decades. Here, she talks about how she discovered underground subculture in her late teens and then watched it develop over the years. She describes the community's most important bands and people, as well as those who others might have forgotten along the way. The conversation also reveals how every time punk rock becomes mainstream in Korea something comes along to force it back underground. Much of my own twenties and thirties are a blur, but I played a lot of the same shows and venues with Trash. That she continues to keep the flame alive is a testament to her passion and desire for this scene. Find more of Trash's music, art, and work online Band (...Whatever That Means): https://www.instagram.com/wtmpunk/ Record label (World Domination Inc): https://www.wdikorea.com/ Tattoo shop (Rebellion Inc): https://www.instagram.com/rebellionin... Festival: https://ko.wdikorea.com/itsafest Discussion Outline: 0:00 Who is Trash? 6:56 The TV incident 14:25 The scene's early days 45:25 Crying Nut, Rux, and No Brain 57:50 BB Lucky Town 1:05:00 ...Whatever That Means 1:33:23 Starting a record label 1:50:16 Creating a festival 2:00:26 Life as a tattoo artist Many of the photos used are taken with permission and thanks from Ken Robinson and Juyoung Lee. If another photo is yours, thank you. Happy to credit you where necessary. Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard ▶ Get in touch: [email protected] ▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873 ▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/co/podcast... ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com... ▶ Music: Tampus Dusk - Tailspin

"People sleep peacefully in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." George Orwell

Park Kyung Hoon (박경훈), Park Inu (박인우), and Lee Seung-il (이승일) are three South Korean men who have all recently completed their mandatory military service. One served in the Navy on the south coast, one in an administrative office, and one as a sniper in the DMZ. In this conversation they share their psychological and physical experiences of being called up by the government to complete more than 500 days of compulsory service. While their paths were all different, they were able to relate to each other in terms of the forced nature of the service, the apps that soldiers use, the boot camps they endured, and the separation and isolation they felt. The one enduring message to be taken from listening to them is that though few, if any, men want to complete this national obligation, because they do, the rest of us are able to live peacefully.

Conversation Chapters

0:00 getting enlisted and physical check-ups

18:00 when do people normally choose to serve?

22:25 boot camp

36:36 getting to base

48:40 500 days left and phone usage

52:50 being a sniper at the DMZ

1:02:50 Patriotism and Korean feelings

1:09:00 Going on Leave and military punishments

1:18:00 Getting out the military

1:27:50 Gratitude and respect for men that serve

1:37:55 Should women be conscripted too?

1:49:30 Should celebrities be exempt?

1:55:00 Charlie's punishments

2:06:40 Closing thoughts

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard

▶ Get in touch: [email protected]

▶ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62047873

▶ Watch us on Youtube: /davidtizzard

▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/co/podcast...

▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com...

▶ Music: Radical Gary - The Reoccurring Peace Machine