Korea Deconstructed

Born in Taegu with roots in Jeju, Juhee then immigrated to the U.S. at age eight. As a 16-year-old Korean American girl, she ran away from home in Queens, New York, to become an architect. Having fulfilled that ambition, she returns to South Korea to reconcile with her abandoned heritage, resolve the family trauma, and achieve a sense of han puri. Find Juhee Online Personal Website: https://www.jleehartford.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jleehartford The Fortune Teller Story: https://ghll.truman.edu/juhee-lee-hartford-the-fortune-teller/ Discussion Outline 0:00 Rejecting Korean Identity (The death of a mother and Park Chung-hee on the same day) 8:52 Korean Architecture 19:30 Shamanism 23:05 Modern Korean Living 32:45 How Our Houses Shape Us 40:00 Jeju – The Land of Exile 43:25 Korea as an Emotional Land 48:50 Architecture as Class 54:00 Han Puri 1:01:34 Recommendations Episode Glossary (New!): https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-appendix-140730565?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels 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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076 Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Music by Jocelyn Clark Connect with us: ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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

Jun Bum Sun joins me to talk about Korea’s unique energy, pungryu, its history, and the healing power of music. We cover Choi Chi Won, Tangun, the Hwarang, Shamanism, Choe Je-u, Tongdo Sogi, AI, K-pop, North Korea, Taoism, and the world ahead. This episode was recorded in Bum Sun's book shop in Haebangchon. Find the video online and you can see the wonderful setting we recorded in as well as his dog 왕손 walking around.    Find Him Online Jun Bum Sun: https://www.instagram.com/junbumsun/ The Yangbans: https://www.instagram.com/yangbansmusic/   Discussion Outline  0:00 History as Therapy 9:33 The Taeguk 17:35 Where Do We Come From? 26:30 The Power of Music 40:20 Confucianism 48:40 Tangun as a Shaman 55:30 Wind and Flow (Pungryu) 59:40 The Donghak 1:13:10 Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism 1:20:25 North Korea 1:38:40 The Samguk Yusa   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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr.   Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076   Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos  Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark   Connect with us:  ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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 

While much of the world focuses on the beauty standards of Korea’s rich and famous, its K-Pop stars, actors, and influencers, we are left wondering how much of this actually applies to real life. Do regular Korean citizens face the same scrutiny around weight, fashion, surgery, and tattoos? I brought 4 Korean adults together to talk about these ideas and also to reveal some things about their own lives. Today’s Guests Sage https://www.instagram.com/twopercensage/ Jeoung https://www.instagram.com/jjong___s2/ Nuri https://www.instagram.com/nurichoii/ AJohn https://www.instagram.com/ft.ajohn/  / https://www.youtube.com/@ftajohn Discussion Outline 0:00 Nail culture 7:40 Pretty Privilege in Korea 18:00 Showing Skin 24:45 Does K-Pop Affect People? 37:40 Fashion Turnoffs 42:05 What’s Hot? 46:25 Weight and Fitness 57:10 Men's Hair 1:03:05 Skin Color / Being White 1:08:35 Tattoos 1:16:28 Plastic Surgery 1:25:00 K-Beauty and Cosmetics 1:30:22 A Message about Beauty 1:36:20 Recommendations   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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076 Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark Connect with us: ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed

Joseph Bengivenni is an artist and photographer who has spend most of the past twenty years living in and exploring South Korea. The Korean mountains and temples have captured his heart and mind, as he obsessively searches for scenic areas to photograph and auspicious places to practice Dharma. You can follow his journey on Instagram: @oxherder_photography The history of Korean Buddhism: koreanbuddhism.wordpress.com. Photos: https://oxherder.smugmug.com/   Discussion 0:00 Introduction to Buddhism 34:00 Seosan, Korea 45:48 Meditation and Hwadu 1:01:20 Gyeongheo 1:19:20 An Ox with No Nostrils 1:27:48 Daehaeng Kun Sunim 1:38:00 Recommendations   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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076 Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark   Connect with us:  ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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

Rob York is director for regional affairs at Pacific Forum in Honolulu, working on Korean Peninsular security and Indo-Pacific information warfare. He previously worked as production editor at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and as editor of NK News from 2013 to 2016. He earned his PhD in Korean history in 2023. Pacific Forum: https://pacforum.org/ Discussion Outline 0:00 Lee Jae Myung 17:50 Trump and Korea 39:00 North Korea 43:10 Communism 47:55 China in the 21st Century 1:10:00 Korea and Japan 1:15:50 The International Order 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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076 Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark Connect with us:  ▶ 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

In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, I sit down with Ra Jong-yil, a scholar, diplomat, and influential figure in modern Korean politics. We recorded this conversation in his house in Seoul. Born in 1940 during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Ra Jong-yil has lived through some of the country’s most defining historical moments. And, in many cases, helped shape them. We talk about his father's role in the Provisional Government in Shanghai alongside Syngman Rhee, Kim Ku, and Ahn Chang Ho. Ra also reflects on his mentorship of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, two presidents who helped usher in Korea’s democratic era, and with whom he later served in high positions as well as in the role of Ambassador of the ROK in the United Kingdom (2001 - 2003) and Ambassador of the ROK in Japan (2004-2007) The Baekbong Political Culture Research Institute: http://bbi.or.kr/ Inside North Korea's Theocracy (book): https://www.amazon.com/Inside-North-Koreas-Theocracy-Song-thaek/dp/1438473729 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra_Jong-yil Thank you to Han Jong-chul for helping me record on location: https://www.instagram.com/the_story_from_you/ Discussion Outline 0:00 Korea Under Occupation 9:10 Baekbong Na Yong-kyun (Jong-Yil's father) 22:30 Liberal Democracy in Korea 44:18 On Kim Dae-jung 1:07:17 On Roh Moo-hyun 1:27:05 On Compassion, Books, and Myths   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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr.   Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark Connect with us: ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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

Italian journalist Marianna Baroli joins me to discuss K-pop, fan culture, parasocial love, and how Korean music is reshaping global identity, especially in Italy. But at what cost? And where do we go next? Find Marianna online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/countingstars/ Panorama: https://www.panorama.it/author/mariannabaroli Discussion Outline 0:00 Introductions 4:55 Fan girling 2PM 7:35 Why K-pop Beat the West? 9:25 The Current State of K-pop 14:20 GOT7 17:50 Girl Groups 20:25 Italian Reactions to K-pop 25:00 Airbnb and SEVENTEEN 28:35 Toxicity in K-pop Online 32:00 Parasocial Relationships 36:00 Objectivity in Music Reviews 40:00 The Producers of K-pop 43:30 Jay Park 45:40 DPR IAN 48:22 How Big Is Hallyu in Italy? 53:46 K-Beauty 57:00 Being in Korea 1:01:40 Italian and Korean Culture 1:04:10 Where Is the Modern World Going? 1:14:40 Recommendations   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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076 Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873   Music by Jocelyn Clark    Connect with us:  ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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 

Lebanese scholar Rania Hafez joins Korea Deconstructed for a wide-ranging conversation on class, culture, and the search for meaning. Rania reflects on how media pushes culture wars over class solidarity, the importance of leadership in academia, and how she discovered Korean dramas during the Covid pandemic. Her love for Crash Landing on You and Hometown Cha Cha Cha helped her find beauty and purpose again, calling Korea her "Narnia." A deeply personal and philosophical episode about rediscovery, passion, and why Korea speaks to so many hearts around the world. She also reflects on her experiences as a Muslim in Korea and how she is able to navigate these spaces. Rania: https://www.instagram.com/the_lebanese_londoner/ 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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr.   Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Discussion Outline 0:00 Korea Deconstructed 2:45 Meaning in modern life 31:00 The importance of class 1:01:20 The struggles of capitalism 1:08:30 K-dramas and the love of the country 1:26:40 Being a Muslim in Korea 1:37:00 How to foster connection 1:46:45 Recommendations   Music by Jocelyn Clark    Connect with us:  ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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 

My guest is Fyodor Tertitskiy, a prolific scholar, polyglot, and one of the few who reads the footnotes of history in multiple languages. His new book, Accidental Tyrant, a biography of Kim Il Sung, challenges the official state mythology and unearths the improbable rise of a guerrilla fighter turned dynastic dictator. This is how Kim Il Sung outwitted imperialists, communists, comrades, and colonels alike, turning chance into legacy, failure into foundation. But the question remains: what does this all mean for those of us living in a world still shaped by the ghosts of his decisions?  Buy Fyodor's latest book here: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Tyrant-Life-Kim-sung/dp/0197800882 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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Discussion Outline 0:00 Who was Kim Il Sung? 9:00 Japanese colonization of Korea 13:40 Kim Il Sung's early life 22:30 What is communism? 27:30 Kim Il Sung the anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter 35:15 How the Soviet Union created North Korea 44:10 Why was Kim Il Sung chosen to lead? 52:40 Planning the Korean War 58:30 Who was Mun Il? 1:05:10 Chairman Mao 1:15:20 Kim Il Sung's economic policies 1:22:40 The succession policies of North Korea 1:41:50 How people misunderstand Juche 1:54:00 Recommendations Music by Jocelyn Clark Connect with us: ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ 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 

In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, I’m joined by four university students: young people who voted, watched, and waited as South Korea held its most recent presidential election and elected Lee Jae-myung. We discuss what the election felt like to them. What it felt like to cast a vote. What they saw among their friends. And what was never said. We’ll explore the hopes and contradictions of a generation caught between economic uncertainty, cultural shifts, and a political system that doesn’t always seem built for them. Korea Deconstructed #105 Big thank you to these wonderful people: Yunseo (https://www.instagram.com/y_jeon_s/) Jennie (https://www.instagram.com/isojeong512/) Andrew (https://www.instagram.com/andrew__ko/) Ray 한종철 (https://www.instagram.com/the_story_from_you/) 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 datizzard@swu.ac.kr. Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Discussion Outline 0:00 What did election day feel like? 8:15 Analyzing the candidates 15:40 Can you talk about politics in Korea? 23:50 What matters to you in politics? 27:15 Gender and military service 32:00 Japan, America, China, and North Korea 43:35 Produce (Politics) 101 46:40 Young people's politics 57:35 Kwon Young-guk 1:05:40 The future of Korea 1:18:30 Message to the new president 1:21:55 Recommendations Music by Jocelyn Clark Connect with us: ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed Questions or Topic Suggestions? Write in the Comments Below! #KoreaDeconstructed #korea #koreanculture #southkorea 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