In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, David Tizzard speaks with Dr. Roald Maliangkay about the forces that shaped modern Korea, its culture, speed, identity, and contradictions. We explore Korea in the 1980s; North Korean pro wrestling; the rise of gossip magazines; the banning of Chinese characters; the manufacturing of Korean heritage; and the origins of Korea's bballi-bballi (빨리빨리) culture. We also dive into folk music, Sino-Korean relations, Korea's global image, and the evolving future of Korean Studies. Roald's work uncovers how cultural narratives are made, forgotten, and reinvented. This is a conversation for anyone interested in Korean history, identity formation, and the cultural mechanics behind modern Korea.

Roald's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Voices-Postcolonial-Entanglements-Preservation/dp/0824866657

Discussion Outline

0:00 Korea in the 1980s

10:30 North Korean Pro Wrestling

17:18 South Korean Gossip Magazines

24:00 Banning the Chinese Script

26:26 Manucfacturing Korean Heritage

35:30 The emergence of Bballi Bballi

49:20 Exploring Folk Music

1:02:15 Korea and China

1:14:25 Korea's Image Abroad

1:29:10 The Future of Korean Studies

1:36:20 Closing Idea

Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels

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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].

Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076

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Music by Jocelyn Clark

Thank you to 한종철 for helping me record this.

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