Why does Gangnam, and so much of Korea, feel artificial and improvised? How are urban apartment complexes like undemocratic military bases? And will Seoul end up another megacity playground for tourists and the super rich like London, New York or Tokyo? Independent linguist Robert Fouser, a former Seoul National University Department of Korean Lang…

We're proud to present Singapore-based Shida Osman in conversation with TKF's Andre Goulet on 'The Podcast Show'. TPS show notes describe the conversation as follows: “Consistency, would be the key to a successful podcast”,says Andre Goulet, podcast host of The Korea File. The conversation unveils why he chose Korea, what happened to the punk rock …

Traditional Korean homes have become a victim of recent waves of gentrification in Ikseon-dong and Bukchon. But as these old residential neighbourhoods become a haven for hipsters, the unique cultural footprint of an important aspect of Seoul’s history is being erased. On episode 86 of The Korea File, Ji-hoon Suk, a University of Michigan Ph.D. stu…

Introducing Jeju Views, a biweekly snapshot of the global microcosm that is Jeju Island. Join host Ann Bush and guests in conversation as they discuss how to navigate the ever-evolving multicultural landscape of the South Korean island. On episode 1, performer Gaelan Whitney opens up about a recent production of the spoken word and comedy show 'Vaj…

On episode 85 of The Korea File,‘Transactions’ journal General Editor Jon Dunbar joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Urban Exploration and Bong Joon-ho’s ‘The Host’, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival and the American Embassy’s rainbow Pride flag and the legacy and future of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch. Plus: highlights from this year’s edi…

.....how engagement with radical anti-imperialist politics create the intellectual space to better understand the personal struggle of defining Korean identity as Korean-Americans in the United States….. .....how a trio of teenagers convinced an 89 year-old former Alaska Senator to make a presidential run…. ....and how an insurgent, largely social …

The Royal Asiatic Society- Korea Branch has been enhancing an understanding of Korean arts, customs, history and social trends through lectures, cultural excursions and special publications since it's founding more than a century ago. In that time, the RASKB and it's unusual cohort of members (including missionaries, diplomats and other expatriates…

Despite the high hopes many were feeling in the lead up to second Trump-Kim meeting, the Summit was probably dead before it even began late last month at the colonial-era Metropole Hotel in downtown Hanoi. But who puled the trigger? What was the poison pill? And where do the United States and North Korea need to go from here to guarantee a lasting …

In May 2015, on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s national division, thirty international women peacemakers from around the world walked with thousands of North and South Korean women to call for an end to the Korean War, reunification of families and the inclusion of women’s leadership in the peace process. Christine Ahn, the founder of Women Cross …

The American military is gradually leaving Yongsan, a major garrison located in the heart of Seoul. But how are the dynamics of military spatial reorganization playing out beyond the metropolis? In this conversation Bridget Martin of the University of California at Berkley joins host Andre Goulet to explore how South Korean landscapes are shaped by…

With a unique cultural and geographical history going back centuries, the ‘Joseonjok’ are considered too different to be fully Chinese in China while simultaneously 'not good enough to fit in’ in South Korea. In this conversation, writer Eddie Park joins host Andre Goulet to discuss his recent investigative reporting from the Korean Autonomous Pref…

Amnesty International says that there are more than 230 conscientious objectors currently incarcerated in the country. But a Constitutional Court ruling this summer, a ruling that states that the government must provide alternative civilian roles for those who refuse to take up arms due to religious or political reasons, sends a clear message that …

South Korean society has long been intolerant of outsiders, but the outrage sparked this summer by a thousand Yemeni asylum seekers on Jeju Island illustrates the depth of the country’s xenophobia. On this episode of ké cast, Korea Exposé Publisher Se-Woong Koo joins host André Goulet to discuss why, despite its vaunted democracy and economy, compa…

This is 'ké cast' Season 2, Episode 1. Produced in collaboration with Korea Exposé, and independent media organization that speaks to a global audience about the two Koreas in a way that goes beyond cliché and superficial analysis, look for this podcast at the beginning of each month through 2018. On this episode, Korea Exposé managing editor Haery…

Former U.S. diplomat, speechwriter, and commentator on U.S. foreign policy in Asia Mintaro Oba joins host Andre Goulet to discuss this month’s on again off again US-North Korea meeting how the Moon administration’s heroic heavy lifting has kept the summit on track. Plus: a risk-free template for how to be a North Korea pundit. This conversation was…

John Carl Baker, a fellow with Washington, DC think tank The Ploughshares Fund joins host Andre Goulet to talk about peace, nuclear proliferation and this historic week on the Korean peninsula. This conversation was recorded on May 2nd, 2018. Music on this episode, 'But I Like You' is from Busan indie rock band Say Sue Me. Find their new album 'Whe…

Jenny Town (Assistant Director of the US-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies/Managing Editor at 38North.org) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Washington's reaction to the surprise announcement of a Donald Trump/Kim Jong-un summit and- what can we expect from this month’s upcoming inter-Korean talks. How d…

Steven Denney (Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto/Senior Editor at SinoNK.com) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the diplomatic delegation's visit to Pyeongyang and how Korean nationalism and American obstructionism continue to clash in the wake of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games. Plus: January's weird Foreign Ministers’ …

In this conversation with prominent blogger Ask A Korean, we unpack the spy-ops and psy-ops that have informed more than a decade of alt-Right agitation in South Korea. Plus: a look into the anti-democratic overreach of the National Intelligence Service and a deep dive into the origins of Ilbe, Korea’s nihilistic proto-Reddit web forum and 4chan an…

As the Koreas begin high level diplomatic talks, host Andre Goulet is joined by photojournalist Jules Tomi for a wide-ranging conversation on the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympic Games and the confluence of factors, including chaotic American political leadership, that may be leading to an easing of tensions on the peninsula. Plus: critiquing voyeurist…

Academics have long examined the relationship between nation-states and their "internal others," like immigrants and ethnic or racial minorities. Now, with her award-winning book ‘Contested Embrace: Transborder Membership Politics in Twentieth-Century Korea’ Jaeeun Kim shifts this focus to look at how a state relates to people it sees as diasporic …

The Nation magazine’s resident Korea expert Tim Shorrock discusses American political instability, assesses the unthinkable cost of a new Korean civil war and examines the international community's role in resolving the nuclear crisis. Become a sustaining patron of this podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thekoreafile Music on this episode includes …

What does it mean to treat nationalism as a commodity? In this conversation, Nam Center Postdoctoral Fellow Jiun Bang discusses the commodification surrounding the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute, and challenges some of the traditional assumptions behind our perceptions of nationalism. And- a conversation on the strange linguistic character of the name Ehw…

Since 2009, the Singapore-based non-profit has facilitated training workshops for everyday North Koreans in Economics, Entrepreneurship and Urban Planning in metropolitan Pyongyang and elsewhere around the country. In this conversation, Chosun Exchange Associate Director of Research Dr. Andray Abrahamian discusses how the introduction of some aspec…

How effective is political polling today? With social trends pointing to a continuing decrease in the rate of democratic participation, in South Korea and elsewhere around the world, how can polls remain representative? In our conversation prior to his recent lecture at the University of Michigan, UC Berkley Professor Taeku Lee discusses how the po…

Joshua Van Lieu is a historian of 20th century East Asian politics and international relations and an authority on the histories of Joseon Korea and Late Imperial China. In this conversation, Van Lieu discusses the diplomatic intrigue of the Qing-Korea relationship and explains how the pageantry of tributary practice successfully manipulated Wester…

The Koreas remain officially at war, a situation unchanged since 1953 when the Armistice Agreement, signed by China, North Korea and the United States, brought an end to active hostilities on the peninsula. But the Armistice was not a peace settlement and tensions along the DMZ, the 38th parallel, have continued ever since. This long stalemate betw…

In his research I. Jonathan Kief, a Korea Foundation post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan’s Nam Center for Korean Studies, explores an unconventional perspective on the relationship between writers in North and South Korea. Here, in the first of a two-part conversation, he discusses the real as well as imagined ways in which literatur…

In her recent book, ‘The Capitalist Unconscious: From Korean Unification to Transnational Korea’, professor of sociology Hyun-ok Park, of Toronto's York University, demonstrates that the unseen currents of capitalism, rather than territorial integration or family union, are driving a movement towards peninsular integration and a united Korea. In th…

At a recent lecture at the University of Michigan's Nam Center for Korean Studies, Pepperdine University sociologist Rebecca Kim spoke on the phenomena of South Korean evangelical missionaries proselytizing in the United States. Exploring the relationship between the two countries since World War 2, her talk addresses how Korean missionaries with t…

In part three of a conversation with conscientious objector, pacifist and 1950s aid worker Joe Smucker, he discusses the paranoia and chaos that he witnessed in a country in the grip of a post-colonial and post-war reality. Plus, more on the Mennonites and their relationship with South Korea. Also: an e-mail from a listener whose grandparents parti…

Pacifist and conscientious objector Joe Smucker left for Korea by freighter in 1956 to help with the country’s post-war reconstruction. His three years on the peninsula participating in relief work efforts were life-changing. In part two of our conversation, Smucker reveals how the Mennonite Central Committee’s reconstruction efforts and work with …

A pacifist and conscientious objector, Joe Smucker left for Korea by freighter in 1956 to help with the country’s post-war reconstruction. His three years on the peninsula participating in relief work efforts with the Mennonite Central Committee would change his life forever. In the first of a two-part interview, Smucker discusses the origins of th…

Corporate stereotyping, the cult power of Chaebol leadership and the structural differences before and after the 1997 IMF financial crisis. This is part three of a conversation with Michael Prentice, a PhD Candidate in the University of Michigan’s Department of Anthropology, on South Korea's hugely influential Chaebol. Our fundraising campaign is l…

This is part two of a conversation with Michael Prentice, a PhD Candidate in the University of Michigan’s Department of Anthropology, on South Korea's hugely influential Chaebol. Our fundraising campaign is now live at https://www.patreon.com/thekoreafile?ty=h Every dollar you pledge supports independent journalism and helps keep this podcast on th…

University of Michigan PhD Candidate Michael Prentice interned for a year at a Seoul-area corporation, conducting semi-covert academic research on the unique corporate culture of South Korea. Here, Prentice discusses the semantics, politics and evolution of the word ‘Chaebol’, the origins of post-Korean War corporate and economic development in the…

Born in Seoul and raised in the United States, Rachel Lee’s first Gyeongju excavation was also her first visit to her country of origin. Join us for a conversation about the differences between household and mortuary archaeology, a critique of popular misconceptions regarding the swashbuckling Indiana Jones-style archaeologist and a description of …

Join us for a discussion with archaeologist Rachel Lee concerning her work on ‘Household Archaeology’ excavations near Jinju in South Gyeongsang province and a conversation about the wider arc of her research concerning Korea’s pre-historic Mumun period. Music on this episode is Bae In-suk's 1979 single '???? ?????'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S…

Matt VanVolkenburg is an MA student at the University of Seattle in Washington and the long-time host of the prolific blog 'Gusts of Popular Feeling', which recently celebrated it's 10th year of analysis on Korean society, history, urban space, film and current events. In this conversation, he recounts the story of how Japanese military successes i…

Jenna Gibson is the Director of Communications at the Korea Economic Institute in Washington DC, a think tank working to promote dialogue and understanding on economic, political and security relations between South Korea and the United States. Gibson also hosts and produces the KEI’s Korean Kontext podcast, a weekly selection of interviews focusin…

Founded in 1982, The Korea Economic Institute's aims to promote dialogue and understanding on economic, political and security relations between South Korea and the U.S. But how does this play out in the organization's day-to-day operations? In this episode, we join Director of Communications and host of the Korean Kontext podcast Jenna Gibson in W…

On this episode, UCLA PhD candidate in Asian Languages and Cultures Tommy Tran talks about his research concerning Japan’s Korean diaspora, with a focus on Osaka’s 80,000 residents with roots on Jeju Island. Join us as we discuss dialect code-switching, Halla Mountain botany and shamanic deity worship in a metropolis of 19,000,000 people. This is t…

On this episode of The Korea File podcast, a conversation with UCLA PhD candidate in Asian Languages and Cultures Tommy Tran about his research on Japan’s Korean diaspora, including: 1) the colonial-era origins of Jeju migration to Osaka, 2) the role of terror and violence in migration trends during the Korean Civil War and Jeju’s 4.3 Massacre and …

Park picnics in the Democratic People’s Republic. The Kim Dynasty: cult or religion? And: Rules for Communist Clam Cooking. On this episode of The Korea File writer and journalist Jon Dunbar describes the experience of vacationing and travelling in one of the most insular countries in the world. Music on this episode: 'My Country is the Best!' http…

On this week`s episode of The Korea File, it`s Seoul`s most renown expat indie band! With international recognition and crossover success in the Korean mainstream this is Used Cassettes, live at Haebongchoen`s Thunderhorse Tavern. From the band bio at Magic Strawberry Sound: ``Used Cassettes was formed as a drunken pact between some friends in a di…

In 2004, an agreement was reached between the United States and South Korean governments to relocate the United States Forces Korea from the heart of Seoul to Camp Humphreys, outside the mid-sized city of Pyeongtaek, and to a second major garrison outside of Daegu The process, scheduled to be completed next year, will consolidate more than 28,000 t…

In 2004, an agreement was reached between the United States and South Korean governments to move all U.S. forces in the country south of the Han River. This move will relocate the United States Forces Korea from the heart of Seoul to Camp Humphreys, outside the mid-sized city of Pyeongtaek, and to a second major garrison outside of Daegu. The proce…

After more than 3000 days of action, what's the state of the anti-naval base protest in Gangjeong Village? I speak with Sunny, an activist with the Catholic Workers Movement, about the morale and momentum of the movement moving forward. Plus, live music from Gangjeong's Peace Market held last June outside the base construction site. For more inform…

Jeju Weekly editor-in-chief Darren Southcott turns the mic around in a conversation with me about podcasting in Korea. The Korea File will be on hiatus until mid September, with a new episode out on September 16th. This episode's music: San U-lim's 'It Was Probably Late Summer' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-6jssOe5Uo…

Seoul's lo-fi basement punk pop pioneers Nice Legs, live at The Factory in Jeju City, 6/13/2015 Find more Nice Legs here: https://wearenicelegs.bandcamp.com/releasesBy The Korea File