- does the main opposition, conservative Liberty Korea Party (자유한국당) have a messaging problem? - 장재원's 미친개 "crazy dog" controversy with the Ulsan Police chief. A bit of a fall-from-grace for Jang. - 홍지만's defiant defense of former prez 박근혜 after the Sewol tragedy's "missing 7 hours" revelations. - had to walk back all these statements after floor leader 김성태 realized the optics were bad. - is this a top-down problem? LKP Chairman 홍중표 sets the tone with his rhetoric; recently posted on Facebook decrying the narrative he has a "filthy mouth" - what are the possible implications for the LKP in the short-term (June local elections), and long-term (political viability)? Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

KBO opening week recap/ analysis - SK off to strong start, Doosan and NC also winning 3 out of 4. Lotte losing their first 4. - New foreign players making their presence felt early. Jared Hoying. Wang Wei-Chung. Logan Verrett. Seth Frankoff. - Still early, but teams have little trouble scoring runs despite short preseason> LPGA stuff - ANA Inspiration, first major of the season. The past 2 weeks have seen Korean champions. - Ryu So-yeon defending champion in controversial circumstance; Lexi Thompson got penalized (4 shots) after a TV viewer called in an infraction - Ryu out to prove she wasn't just the lucky winner, Thompson determined to win this one as well> National football team friendlies in Europe - Gotta figure out what to do with Son Heung-min and how to get the best out of this talent. Where does he belong on the pitch? Who should he play with? - Better off in a two-forward system, with a partner who can do some dirty work, play decoy and create space for Son - Defense will have hands full against Germany, etc. The worst team in the World Cup, maybe? Fantasy rants / smack talk as NBA playoffs and MLB gets into gear - Combination of regular season victories by Dodgers+Clippers and Blue Jays+Raptors. Who will come out higher?? - MLB Opening Day is Friday morning. All 30 teams in action. Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

- Fan favorite and purported Seoul Mayoral candidate 정봉주: political career over after his liar-liar pants on fire moment. Drops his lawsuit against Pressian and issues a mea culpa. Vows to retire from public life. Very disappointing to his many supporters. Huge fall from grace. Podcast/New media pioneer to political pariah. - Collateral damage also to fellow media favorite 김어준. His SBS TV show "Black House" taking ratings hit as he's perceived to be defending his fellow 노꼼수 buddy. Had earlier spat with JTBC's 손석희 in terms of how the #MeToo movement should be covered and whether it was being politicized to hurt the liberal cause. Should NOT be an ideological issue! - 안희정 had his arrest warrant denied by the courts. Determined he was not a flight risk and would not likely destroy evidence. Still not out of the woods as allegations of assault continue to mount. - A prosecutor accused of sexual harassment also issued an arrest warrant request. But many upset over the 정봉주 fiasco are upset that the original spark to the movement, prosecutor 서지현's may be getting overshadowed. Still not much movement against her alleged perpetrator 안태근. Adding to more cynicism against the judiciary - Some signs of restlessness among men. Whether the movement continues its momentum remains to be seen. 조남주 "82년생 김지영" (Cho Nam-joo's "Kim Ji-Young Born 1982") the representative tome for this time in history. Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

- Looking at some of the interesting issues as we start the week. - 이명박 구속! former Prez Lee Myung-bak in jail! How did we get here and what to expect - His conservative party 자유한국당 (Liberty Korea Party) looks to be in meltdown mode. Railing against 개헌 (constitutional reform), big spat with the 울산 경찰청장 (Ulsan police chief) and generally pissed about the state of things today. - 안희정 faces arrest warrant himself and additional allegation against him - Trump fires McMaster, hires John Bolton; are we doomed?? - Fine dust again rears its ugly head - Ferry collides with an object and capsizes on route to 목포, luckily all 163 rescued; avoiding another 세월호 참사 (Sewol ferry tragedy). Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

- General preview. Can Kia Tigers repeat? Which teams are on the rise/on the decline? - Talk about Korean MLB guys who have come back. Byung-ho, Hyun-soo, Jae-gyun - Some new foreign players. Kia Tigers being the only team to retain all 3 외국인 선수 from a year ago - Will 타고투저 hold? Big offensive numbers expected again? - Other storylines to watch? (How will big ticket free agents do for their new teams? (강민호, 민병헌). 김광현 is returning from Tommy John. Can he return to old self or will he just be old?) - And prediction time at the end Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

- Disclaimer about the sensitivity of this topic. Male perspective not necessarily appreciated or needed. Just some observations on the growth of the movement and a comparative look at what's going on here vs in the US - Weinstein vs 서지현. Different flash-points for the movement. Why did Korea's #MeToo movement start in the legal sector? - JTBC interview with 서 sparked an avalanche of allegations. Mostly coming initially from the cultural/entertainment sector. Too many to mention all. - Some notable/egregious cases: 이윤택, 조민기, 조재현. Tragedy for 조민기; apparent suicide. - Political bombshells ensued. Various politicians caught up in the movement, but biggest shock was 안희정. Some back ground on 안's career and his precipitous fall from grace. Another JTBC scoop with 김지은. Comparison to John Edwards. Now no longer a political question. Jail on the horizon? - Another big political bombshell. 정봉주. His background as former lawmaker, jail term, and popularity as 나꼼수 podcaster. Very defiant, he said/she said affair with Pressian. Political comeback and Seoul mayoral run derailed with 민주 rejection? - Why does its seem like the allegations are mostly liberal politicians? Better environment to speak out. Conservatives are trying to exploit but polling suggests the strategy is failing. Image of the party belies their #MeToo bona fides. Chairman Hong not the best advocate. - What can we expect going forward? More allegations. Backlash to the backlash w/ "the Pence rule" - Does the #MeToo have legs in Korea? Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

- Behind the scenes look at the games including medal winners, controversies, gossip, etc. - Covering hockey; the women's national team craziness. Mingling the elites of the hockey world. - Medalists and historic achievements outside of the skating events. Skeleton, snowboard, bobsled, etc. - Short track disappointments. 심석희. 황대현. 최민정 mixed results. - Long track recap. Assessing the huge 김보름/노선영 controversy. Who was the real bully? Surprise medalists including 김보름, 김민석, 차민규 etc. The greatness of 이승훈 - The Garlic Girls becoming a global phenomenon. - Off the field anecdotes. Overall assessment of the games. - Tangential off-topic chatter (a regular feature, not a bug, of this sports pod!) Subscribe, rate and review (preferable 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1

What this podcast is about - A bit about me - Why I started this pod - A look at issues important to Korea from both inside and outside the country. - Eclectic topics covered including politics, sports, social issues, economy, etc. - Try to go into issues that go beyond what the English-language media covers on Korea. - Ideally a combination of regular solo pods delving into relevant current events, a recurring sports podcast, occasional interviews with experts in various fields and interesting guests. A mix of topical and evergreen content. What this podcast is NOT about - Besides major earth-shattering events, this podcast will NOT focus on North Korea (plenty of English-language material on NK issues). No need to add to the cacophony. - Along the same lines of overdone and overtalked about... won't have a whole lot of K-Pop, K-Drama stuff. Plenty of people to talk about that stuff. - WON'T be a news program. Most of the main headlines will be available. Prefer to focus on both major and sometimes below-the-radar issues people in Korea are buzzing about and may be of interest to the global audience. What I hope for the pod - Hopefully can engage with the listeners and create a dialogue on what issues should be discussed. Feedback is welcome and encouraged. - Hope both the global and local Korean audience can find value from the podcast. Global listeners can get a sense of what's going on in Korea and Korean listeners can enjoy local current affairs discussions in English. - Enjoy the pod! Help spread the word! Subscribe, rate and review (preferably 5 stars!) on Apple Podcasts! 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/korea-pod/id1361450798?mt=2&ls=1