Advertise on podcast: The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Korean Ghost Stories 2026, The Dark Side of Seoul’s annual ghost-story episode, returns with four stories spanning five centuries. Shawn tells a tale from the 1525 Yongjae Chonghwa about a fortune-telling ghost living in a noble household’s crossbeams and explains why its real target was the Joseon aristocracy. Joe reads two modern stories from Korean horror message boards, one about a girl outside a rural window in midwinter and one about a woman peering around a funeral hall door. Shawn closes with an alleged true haunting recorded by a Buddhist monk, involving a crowded inn near the border in Gangwon-do and three figures that followed a man home. Content note: the Gangwon-do account includes references to a suicide attempt and an alleged murder-suicide. Topics discussed: Shawn’s “I Hate Spooky Season” essay and why the term bugs him Travel writers, influencers and free stuff The Yongjae Chonghwa, Seong Hyeon and a ghost that exposes a secret Joseon household gods and the Seongju in the roof beams The Handprints Inside the Window Why ghost children land across cultures An alleged 1990s haunting in Gangwon-do What shamans charge, and what that says about folk religion The Woman at the Funeral Hall Door How Korean urban legends spread online Timestamps: 00:00:06 Welcome, masks and costumes 00:02:33 Shawn’s Substack and “I Hate Spooky Season” 00:04:58 Influencers and free stuff 00:08:18 Four stories for Korean Ghost Stories 2026 00:11:40 The Yongjae Chonghwa and Seong Hyeon 00:16:56 The ghost and the missing hairpin 00:20:19 Why the story was a warning to the nobility 00:24:38 The Seongju and the crossbeams 00:26:06 The Handprints Inside the Window 00:30:09 Why children are creepy, and M.R. James 00:34:08 An alleged haunting in Gangwon-do 00:48:13 Shamans, exorcisms and what they charge 00:57:37 Korea 40 years ago and the old-timers who remember it 01:00:50 The Woman at the Funeral Hall Door 01:05:13 Where these stories come from 01:08:34 The Ghost Walk, plugs and goodbyes Mentioned in this episode: Yongjae Chonghwa, by Seong Hyeon (published 1525) Shawn’s Substack, Welcome to Savage Hollar, including “I Hate Spooky Season” and the series “Not the Korean Ghosts You May Know” Supernatural Encounters in South Korea, by Shawn Morrissey Lost Hearts and Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, by M.R. James The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson The Old Dark House (1932) Joe’s stories are adapted from anonymous accounts on Korean horror sites. The Handprints Inside the Window and The Woman at the Funeral Hall Door are from a 2021 repost on the blog 내돈내산 (ndns.tistory.com/213), credited there to MSKA Audio. The ZenKimchi Food and Travel Podcast Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk: darksideofseoul.com Contact: [email protected] About the podcast: The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea’s hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter ‘Fun Sized’ episodes, connecting today’s headlines to larger patterns in Korean society. Whether we’re discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Can a place remember? In this episode, Shawn answers a listener question from his Seoul ghost walk and explains stone tape theory, the idea that ghosts may be imprinted memories rather than the souls of the dead. He applies it to two encounters on the grounds of Gyeonghuigung Palace: a boy in white hanbok who plays around a nearly 400-year-old zelkova tree, and a sudden, unexplained smell of burning hair and flesh that stopped an entire tour group in 2018. Topics discussed: What stone tape theory and the electrical impulse wave theory claim Why cultural explanations don’t tell us what ghosts are Psychometry in pop culture, from The Dead Zone to Millennium to Chew Why ghosts that don’t know they’re dead might be the safest kind EVP, ghost apps, and why Shawn isn’t buying them The 2018 smell on the Gyeonghuigung grounds and the search for its source Gyeonghuigung’s fire history and its 19th-century decline The woman in the Ikseon-dong alley Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and a question from a ghost walk guest 02:07 What stone tape theory is 03:05 Why culture doesn’t explain ghosts 05:00 Ghosts as imprinted memories, and psychometry 06:26 The Dead Zone, Chew, Millennium, and Key and Peele 09:17 Murder, joy, and memories in the landscape 12:06 The electrical impulse wave theory 14:32 Where the theory breaks down 15:01 EVP and ghost apps 16:20 The zelkova tree at Gyeonghuigung 17:48 New sightings since Shawn’s book 20:07 Ghosts that don’t know they’re dead, han and won 22:34 Bonus story: Gyeonghuigung, 2018 24:00 Palace renovations and the old concrete slab 27:29 The smell 30:24 Ruling out fire, smoke, and wind 32:20 Searching the palace’s fire history 35:15 Gyeonghuigung, Gwanghaegun, and the Mulberry Palace 38:27 Memory or ghost? 39:58 The woman in the Ikseon-dong alley 41:30 Wrap-up, Substack, and ZenKimchi Travel and Food podcast Mentioned in this episode: Our earlier episodes “The Problem with Korean Ghosts,” on Gyeonghuigung, and on Gwanghaegun Shawn’s Substack article “A Lingering Scent of Ghosts” on Welcome to Savage Hollar ZenKimchi Travel and Food podcast The Dead Zone, Millennium, Chew, Key and Peele Folklorist George Gomme Support the show and get extra content: patreon.com/darksideofseoul Website and merch: darksideofseoul.com Contact: [email protected] Find us on Instagram and Facebook as Dark Side of Seoul. About the Podcast The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea’s hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter ‘Fun Sized’ episodes, connecting today’s headlines to larger patterns in Korean society. Whether we’re discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

King Jeongjo is barely in the ground and his entire reform project is already under threat. This episode covers 1801–1803: the regency of Queen Dowager Jeongsun, two significant but fatally incomplete reform measures, and the beginning of the Andong Kim clan’s century-long stranglehold on the Joseon court. Topics covered: The political situation Queen Dowager Jeongsun inherited when the eight-year-old King Sunjo took the throne The emancipation of 66,067 public government slaves in January 1801 — and why private slavery was left entirely untouched The 1801 law allowing men born out of wedlock to sit the gwageo civil service examination — and the institutional resistance that made the law almost meaningless until 1823 The gwageo’s centuries-long history of elite gatekeeping, legacy admissions, and the growing divide between well-connected city families and rural candidates The rise of the Andong Kim clan as Joseon’s ultimate power brokers Sedo jeongchi — government-by-in-law — and how King Sunjo’s marriage to Kim Jo-sun’s daughter handed the Andong Kims the keys to the entire administrative apparatus The end of Jeongsun’s regency in December 1803, and what it actually changed (not much) The seeds of the Donghak movement and the rebellions that are coming Timestamps are not available for this episode. Resources mentioned: ZenKimchi Korea Food and Travel Podcast (Joe McPherson) Welcome to Savage Holler Substack (Shawn Morrissey) — soju article Connect with The Dark Side of Seoul: Website: darksideofseoul.com Email: [email protected] Available on all major podcast platforms About the Podcast The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea’s hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter “Fun Sized” episodes, connecting today’s headlines to larger patterns in Korean society. Whether we’re discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joe and Shawn are joined by Justin Kyle, co-host of the weekly horror film podcast Straight Chilling, for a decade-by-decade guide to Korean horror cinema. Starting from a lost 1924 silent film made under Japanese occupation and running through Na Hong-jin's divisive 2024 creature feature, Justin leads a structured tour of the films, directors, themes, and historical forces that shaped one of world cinema's most distinctive horror traditions. Guest Justin Kyle, Straight Chilling Podcast straightchilling.com Also writes for koreanfilm.org and Korea Times Topics discussed The 1924 silent horror film adaptation of the Tale of Two Sisters, made during Japanese occupation around the same time as Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, now a lost film The Korean Film Archive's YouTube channel and Blu-ray releases for older films, and the ongoing problem of lost or damaged Korean films even from relatively recent decades Why Korean horror rarely produces slashers, monster films, or vampire stories, and what it produces instead The femme fatale and the vengeful female ghost as recurring figures in Korean horror, and the argument that these women have genuine narrative agency rather than existing simply as threats to be defeated The 1960s as the first golden age of Korean horror, and the unusually high cinematographic quality of films from that era How Park Chung-hee's nationalist cultural policies in the 70s inadvertently created a boom in shaman-themed cinema The censorship era of the 70s and 80s, what it did to Korean filmmaking, and why the 80s produced so few horror films The shamanism film tradition in Korean cinema and why claims that it is a new trend are wrong Whispering Corridors (1998) as the beginning of the second golden age of Korean horror Why the end of censorship in the mid-to-late 90s unlocked a new era of ambitious Korean filmmaking The Quiet Family, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Host, and Thirst as the peak of 2000s Korean horror The debate over whether Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho is the better filmmaker Train to Busan and the argument about whether it is a great zombie film, a mediocre horror film, or an accessible action film that Koreans don't even classify as horror The Wailing as the conclusion of the second golden age Seire (2021) as the best Korean horror film of the current decade, and the Korean folk traditions around birth and death it draws on Exhuma and what happens when horror films prioritize accessibility over atmosphere Na Hong-jin's Hope and why it's deeply divisive The Netflix and K-pop effect on Korean cinema and the argument that chasing international accessibility has drained the daring out of mainstream Korean horror A Halloween party on October 24, 2026 at Dyson Comics Cafe in Seoul with horror board games, movie trivia, and a Halloween magic show Korean horror film timeline by decade Korean Horror Film Timeline by Decade Silent Era 1924 — Untitled Tale of Two Sisters adaptation — director unknown — lost film 1960s 1960 — The Housemaid (하녀) — Kim Ki-young 1960 — Madam White Snake (백사부인) — Shin Sang-ok 1964 — The Evil Stairs / The Devil's Stairway (마의 계단) — Lee Man-hee 1965 — A Bloodthirsty Killer / Devilish Homicide (살인마) — Yi Yong-min 1967 — Public Cemetery Under the Moon (월하의 공동묘지) — Kwon Cheol-hwi 1967 — Yongary, Monster from the Deep (대괴수 용가리) — Kim Kee-duk 1969 — The Devil and the Beauty (악마와 미녀) — Yi Yong-min 1970s 1970 — Ghosts of Joseon (이조괴담) — Shin Sang-ok 1975 — The Man with Two Faces (공포의 이중인간) — Yi Yong-min 1977 — Io Island / Ieodo (이어도) — Kim Ki-young 1978 — A Woman Chasing a Killer Butterfly (살인나비를 쫓는 여자) — Kim Ki-young 1979 — The Divine Bough (신궁) — Im Kwon-taek 1980s 1981 — Suddenly in the Dark / Suddenly at Midnight (깊은 밤 갑자기) — Go Yeong-nam 1981 — The Hut (피막) — Lee Doo-yong 1981 — A Monstrous Corpse (괴시) — Kang Beom-gu 1982 — Dracula in a Coffin — director unconfirmed 1990s 1995 — 301, 302 (삼공일 삼공이) — Park Chul-su 1997 — The Hole — director unconfirmed 1998 — Whispering Corridors (여고괴담) — Park Ki-hyung 1998 — The Quiet Family (조용한 가족) — Kim Jee-woon 1999 — Memento Mori (여고괴담 두번째 이야기) — Kim Tae-yong and Min Kyu-dong 1999 — The Ring Virus (링) — Kim Dong-bin 1999 — Tell Me Something (텔 미 썸딩) — Chang Yoon-hyun 1990s — Deep Scratch — director unconfirmed 2000s 2001 — Sorum (소름) — Yoon Jong-chan 2003 — A Tale of Two Sisters (장화, 홍련) — Kim Jee-woon 2004 — R-Point (알 포인트) — Kong Su-chang 2006 — The Host (괴물) — Bong Joon-ho 2009 — Thirst (박쥐) — Park Chan-wook 2010s 2010 — I Saw the Devil (악마를 보았다) — Kim Jee-woon 2010 — Bedevilled (김복남 살인사건의 전말) — Jang Cheol-su 2012 — Horror Stories (무서운 이야기) — Min Kyu-dong, Jung Bum-shik, Hong Ji-young, Kim Gok and Kim Sun, Lim Dae-woong 2015 — The Silenced (경성학교: 사라진 소녀들) — Lee Hae-young 2016 — Train to Busan (부산행) — Yeon Sang-ho 2016 — The Wailing (곡성) — Na Hong-jin 2020s 2021 — Seire (세이레) — Park Kang 2022 — The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra — Park Se-young 2024 — Exhuma / Pamyo (파묘) — Jang Jae-hyun 2024 — Hopeu (호프) — Na Hong-jin Resources mentioned Straight Chilling Podcast: straightchilling.com Korean film database: koreanfilm.org Korean Film Archive YouTube: Korean Classic Film Korea Times film coverage: search Justin Kyle Timestamps not available for this episode. About the podcast The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter "Fun Sized" episodes, connecting today's headlines to larger patterns in Korean society. Whether we're discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why do ghosts conveniently conform to the culture of the people seeing them? Korean folklore gives us the cheonyeo gwishin, Western traditions have their own recognizable specters, and decades of movies have taught us that ghosts should be translucent, vaporous, and obviously dead. Joe and Shawn question whether any of those images are useful when examining claims of actual ghost encounters. If ghosts represent a genuine phenomenon, Shawn argues, their basic characteristics should remain consistent across cultures. The conversation moves from Korean folklore and Shakespeare to filmmaking, Newfoundland ghost traditions, the concept of han, trauma as an explanation for hauntings, and the surprisingly mundane descriptions that appear in some of the more convincing alleged encounters. More in Shawn’s newsletter article The Most Haunted Place on Earth! Topics Discussed The problem with culturally specific ghosts Folklore versus alleged paranormal phenomena Korea's cheonyeo gwishin Women in white and long-haired ghosts Similar ghost imagery outside Asia Why folklore shouldn't be treated as scientific explanation Shakespeare and ghosts on stage How theater and cinema shaped the translucent ghost Alleged ghosts that look completely human The possibility of encountering a ghost without realizing it Newfoundland ghost traditions The Irish and Newfoundland "fetch" What makes somewhere "the most haunted place on Earth" Trauma as an explanation for hauntings Han and Korean ghost folklore Why claims that han is uniquely Korean create a logical problem Skepticism and paranormal research Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 06:00 Defining the problem with ghosts 10:00 Folklore as explanation 11:36 What if ghosts are real? 13:00 Korean ghost imagery 15:00 Fictional ghosts versus alleged encounters 17:30 Ghost imagery across cultures 20:00 The mundane ghost 22:00 Theater, film, and translucent spirits 25:00 Ghosts we may not recognize 27:00 Newfoundland's "fetch" tradition 29:00 The most haunted place on Earth 31:00 Trauma and restless spirits 33:00 Han and Korean ghosts 34:50 Final discussion 36:30 Listener shout-out Mentioned During the Episode Cheonyeo gwishin Hamlet Watership Down Newfoundland ghost folklore St. John's Haunted Hike The Irish/Newfoundland "fetch" Han (한) The Korean Ghost and Mr. Skeptic Shawn Morrissey's newsletter, Welcome to Savage Haller The Most Haunted Place on Earth (Depending on Who You Ask) About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joe visited a brand-new free museum in Seoul's Insadong neighborhood built on a six-year archaeological excavation. The dig exposed a layer of the city from the late 1590s, right before the Japanese invasions reduced large parts of Seoul to rubble. The artifacts are fascinating. The signage is a list of measurements. The actual story, that this neighborhood was frozen in the moment before catastrophe, is buried in a set of video interviews near the back that most visitors probably walk past. Topics discussed: Shawn's Substack newsletter Welcome to Savage Hollar, a follow-up Korean urban legends book in progress, and a new book about hauntings in Newfoundland A new Korea concierge service helping travelers book KTX tickets, baseball tickets, and navigate Korean websites built exclusively for Korean IDs and Korean phone numbers A live music venue in Nagwon called EDLS with a brew pub, live jazz, rock, and experimental music Thursday through Saturday, 10,000 to 15,000 won cover The Insadong Urban Heritage Exhibition Hall: what it is, what it contains, and why it fails to explain itself The history of pimgol, Seoul's network of back alleys designed so commoners could work and move around the city without bowing to aristocrats on horseback The Gongpyeong regulation requiring archaeological digs before any construction in the Insadong-Jongno area, and the cluster of small underground museums it has produced A clay jar full of metal movable type, some cast in Hangeul, deliberately buried underground, not lost in a fire but hidden intentionally Bronze hand cannons stockpiled nearby, and what that stockpile suggests about the circumstances Why the dig focused on the late 1590s layer specifically: almost nothing from that era survives elsewhere in the city The Japanese invasions of 1592 as the explanation for everything buried, abandoned, or burned in that layer Joseon-era astronomical instruments and a water clock of significant mechanical complexity found at the site Why Korean heritage interpretation consistently describes physical dimensions instead of telling the story, and why a brand-new museum opened in 2026 still has this problem Practical information: Insadong Urban Heritage Exhibition Hall (인사동 도시유적전시관) GI Tower basement, Insadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm, last admission 5:30pm Free admission Resources mentioned: Shawn's Substack: Welcome to Savage Hall Korea Concierge: concierge.zenkimchi.com Dark Side of Seoul tours: darksideofseoul.com Timestamps not available for this episode. About the podcast The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter "Fun Sized" episodes, connecting today's headlines to larger patterns in Korean society. Whether we're discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Topics Discussed Insa-dong as one of Joe and Shawn’s first experiences of Seoul How the neighborhood has changed since the early 2000s Traditional Korean incense and surviving specialty shops The hidden waterways that shaped Insa-dong’s streets Insa-dong during the late Joseon period and Korean Empire How Japanese colonial rule helped create the antiques district Looted temple and palace artifacts entering the antique trade The rise of artists, galleries, tea houses, and literary culture Crime and kidnapping in old Insa-dong Poet Chun Sang-byeong and his abduction by the Korean intelligence services Torture, political repression, and Chun’s disappearance Insa-dong’s designation as Korea’s first cultural district Starbucks, Hangul signage, and the commercialization of “traditional” Seoul Ssamziegil and the transformation of Insa-dong into a shopping destination Dragon’s Beard candy and Insa-dong’s changing street-food culture The 2013 Insa-dong fire Museums, galleries, traditional crafts, and what remains worth visiting How nostalgia shapes the way longtime residents remember Insa-dong Timestamps 00:00 Tourist Season introduction 02:10 Introducing Insa-dong and memories of old Seoul 05:00 How Insa-dong has changed 08:00 Traditional Korean incense and surviving old shops 25:10 The geography of Insa-dong and its buried waterways 30:00 Insa-dong during the Korean Empire 35:00 How Insa-dong became Seoul’s antiques district 39:00 Japanese colonial dealers and looted cultural artifacts 42:00 Crime and kidnapping in old Insa-dong 47:05 Poet Chun Sang-byeong and Seoul’s literary culture 48:55 Chun Sang-byeong’s abduction and torture 55:00 The legacy of Chun Sang-byeong 1:00:25 Insa-dong becomes Korea’s first cultural district 1:00:55 Starbucks and the famous Hangul sign 1:04:55 Ssamziegil and the commercialization of Insa-dong 1:09:00 Insa-dong street food 1:10:45 Dragon’s Beard candy 1:36:05 The 2013 Insa-dong fire 1:48:30 What remains worth seeing in Insa-dong 2:00:00 Museums, crafts, tea, and surviving cultural attractions Mentioned During the Episode Insa-dong Cheonggyecheon Jongno Joseon Dynasty Korean Empire Japanese colonial period Chun Sang-byeong Ssamziegil Starbucks Insa-dong Dragon’s Beard candy Korean traditional incense Insa-dong antique dealers Insa-dong art galleries Traditional Korean tea houses The 2013 Insa-dong fire Follow The Dark Side of Seoul Website https://darksideofseoul.com Patreon https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Instagram https://instagram.com/darksideofseoul Facebook https://facebook.com/darksideofseoul YouTube https://youtube.com/@darksideofseoul About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Topics Discussed Nami Island’s origins, General Nami and the false tomb, Korea’s domestic tourism boom, Winter Sonata and the early Korean Wave, K-drama tourism, artist Kang Woo-hyon’s transformation of the island, the Republic of Naminara, tourism marketing, Gapyeong attractions, Instagram tourism, overtourism, and whether Nami Island is actually worth visiting. Useful Timestamps 00:00 Tourist Season summer replay introduction 00:31 Why are we talking about Nami Island? 02:01 Nami Island wasn’t originally an island 03:07 General Nami and the false tomb 04:22 The Bukhangang “land of tourist traps” 05:28 Winter Sonata changes everything 06:43 How Winter Sonata helped launch the Korean Wave 07:12 K-dramas as tourism marketing 08:17 The artist who reinvented Nami Island ~12:00 The Republic of Naminara and its tourism gimmicks ~18:00 What Nami Island is actually like to visit ~21:00 Other Gapyeong tourist attractions 25:40 Who should actually visit Nami Island? 26:37 The contradiction of “eco-tourism” and mass tourism 27:10 Instagram, influencers, and manufactured destinations 28:01 Closing and Dark Side of Seoul tours 29:34 Final travel advice Mentioned During the Episode Nami Island / Republic of Naminara, Winter Sonata, Bae Yong-joon, Choi Ji-woo, Korean Tourism Organization, Bukhangang, Cheongpyeong Dam, General Nami, Gapyeong, Petite France, K-drama filming locations, the Korean Wave, Korean domestic tourism, Instagram tourism, Dark Side of Seoul tours, and ZenKimchi Experiences. Links Dark Side of Seoul: darksideofseoul.com ZenKimchi Experiences: zenkimchi.com YouTube: Dark Side of Seoul on YouTube Patreon: Dark Side of Seoul Patreon About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores the strange, hidden, and occasionally disturbing sides of Korean history, folklore, culture, crime, and travel. Hosted by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show draws on decades of experience living, researching, writing, and guiding in Korea. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tourist brochures rarely tell the whole story. In this Tourist Season replay, Joe and Shawn revisit one of the podcast's most popular travel episodes, uncovering the wars, massacres, murders, ghost stories, and redevelopment controversies hidden behind some of Korea's best-known tourist destinations. Topics Discussed Tourist Season summer replay series Why famous destinations deserve deeper historical context Incheon and the Battle of Incheon during the Korean War The 2017 Incheon child murder case Jeju Island and the Bukchon Massacre The Jeju Uprising Bukchon Hanok Village and developer Jeong Se-gwon Ghost legends surrounding Bukchon Ikseon-dong before it became Seoul's trendiest neighborhood Operation Butterfly and Seoul's former red-light district Gentrification and commercialization of Ikseon-dong The anonymous donor of Jeonju's Tree of Hope The restoration of Cheonggyecheon and its impact on merchants Listener mail: Why do Korean hikers wear bells? Timestamps 00:00 Tourist Season introduction 02:30 Horror movie watch parties and summer updates 10:15 Why every tourist site has a darker history 13:30 Incheon and the Korean War 24:00 The 2017 Incheon child murder 37:45 Jeju's Bukchon Massacre 50:00 Bukchon Hanok Village beyond the postcards 1:02:00 Ikseon-dong before the cafés 1:22:00 Jeonju's anonymous Christmas donor 1:33:30 Cheonggyecheon before restoration 1:50:00 Listener mail: Korean hiking bells Mentioned During the Episode Incheon Wolmido Jeju Island Bukchon Bukchon Hanok Village Ikseon-dong Cheonggyecheon Jeonju Jeong Se-gwon Lee Myung-bak Operation Butterfly The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk Follow The Dark Side of Seoul Website https://darksideofseoul.com Patreon https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Instagram https://instagram.com/darksideofseoul Facebook https://facebook.com/darksideofseoul YouTube https://youtube.com/@darksideofseoul About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week kicks off our summer rerun series, digging up the best tourism episodes from the archive while we take a break from new true crime deep dives. First up: 141, Tourists from Hell. Years of running walking tours and food tours in Seoul means years of collecting the worst behavior tourism has to offer. Hand holders who never read their confirmation emails. Tour-splainers who think they know the history better than the guide telling it. The no-show who ghosted, left a one-star review, then demanded a refund anyway. A hotel concierge (the irony) who wanted a private tour at group rates, only ate at Michelin-level places, and ended the day eating bread from a bakery because nothing else met his standards. Plus, why Joe stopped taking media fixer gigs after some genuinely great experiences with names like Bourdain and Zimmern, and a stack of tourist horror movie recommendations to close things out. If you've ever worked in hospitality, this one's for you. If you've ever been that guest, you might recognize yourself. Topics Discussed Introducing the "Tourist Season" summer replay series The most memorable difficult guests from years of leading tours "Hand holders" who never read booking information Tourists who showed up at the wrong location and demanded refunds Guests who tried to explain Korean history to the guides No-shows and last-minute cancellations Refund requests after missed tours Hecklers and guests with personal agendas The infamous "Touché!" guest Drunk guests and disruptive tour behavior Guests distracted by phones and Pokémon Go Problems unique to hiking tours Food tour horror stories Vegetarians booking Korean BBQ tours The worst guest ever: a hotel concierge with impossible expectations Working as media fixers for international television productions Positive experiences with Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, National Geographic, and Milk Street Horror film recommendations for travelers Mentioned During the Episode ZenKimchi Experiences The Dark Side of Seoul Tour Korean BBQ Experience Anthony Bourdain Andrew Zimmern National Geographic Milk Street Listen & Follow Website: https://darksideofseoul.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-side-of-seoul-podcast/id1504623984 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1lZBXNX79kwH2NXcJWNcb8 Patreon: https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul YouTube: https://youtube.com/@darksideofseoul Instagram: https://instagram.com/darksideofseoul Facebook: https://facebook.com/darksideofseoul Contact: [email protected] About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, folklore, true crime, urban legends, supernatural traditions, and the overlooked stories that shaped the peninsula. Alongside deep dives into Korea's darker past, the podcast also explores life in modern Korea through travel, culture, and the often hilarious realities of working as professional tour guides. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode Summary A father and his four children were found dead in their home in Ulsan after months of severe financial hardship. While the case was ruled a murder-suicide, the discussion quickly expands beyond the crime itself into the failures of Korea's welfare system, the stigma surrounding mental health, and the bureaucratic obstacles that can leave vulnerable families without meaningful support. Joe and Shawn examine how the family had already been identified as a high-risk household and had been visited by schools, welfare officials, police, and child protection workers. Despite multiple warning signs, no agency ever developed a complete picture of the family's crisis. The episode explores whether this tragedy represents an isolated incident or a broader failure of institutions designed to protect children and families. Topics Discussed The Ulsan family murder-suicide Carbon monoxide deaths using charcoal briquettes Poverty and financial collapse Single fathers in Korea Mental health stigma Child welfare investigations Bureaucratic barriers to assistance In-kind support versus direct cash assistance Coordination failures between government agencies Korea's suicide rate Proposed welfare reforms Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 02:00 The Ulsan case 06:00 Financial hardship and the family's circumstances 12:00 Welfare assistance and why it wasn't enough 19:00 Single fathers and asking for help 24:00 Child protection and looking for the wrong warning signs 31:00 Mental health, stigma, and caregiver burnout 37:00 Bureaucracy and agency coordination failures 43:00 Possible reforms and remaining concerns Mentioned During the Episode Korea's Basic Livelihood Security Program Korea's child protection system Previous Dark Side of Seoul episodes on K-Poverty, child abuse, Yoo Young-chul, and the WaWo Apartment collapse Shawn's book on ghost encounters in Korea Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk Listen & Follow Website: https://darksideofseoul.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-side-of-seoul-podcast/id1504623984 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1lZBXNX79kwH2NXcJWNcb8 Patreon: https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul YouTube: https://youtube.com/@darksideofseoul Instagram: https://instagram.com/darksideofseoul Facebook: https://facebook.com/darksideofseoul Contact: [email protected] About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's darker history, folklore, true crime, urban legends, supernatural traditions, forgotten places, and the cultural stories that don't usually appear in guidebooks. New episodes include deep historical dives alongside our "Fun Sized" discussions of current events, controversies, and unusual aspects of life in Korea. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dark Side of Seoul Podcast Episode 316 The Weird Science Behind Korean Food Nationalism   Episode Description A 2023 paper published in the Journal of Ethnic Foods argues that Korean cuisine developed in isolation, authentic Korean food isn't spicy, and even that royal court cuisine isn't truly Korean. In this episode, we examine the paper's historical, linguistic, archaeological, and scientific claims to see where the evidence supports the authors and where nationalism appears to outweigh scholarship. Topics Discussed Why Korean food doesn't need exaggerated origin stories The concept of food nationalism The "Hermit Kingdom" myth Did Korean cuisine really develop in isolation? Is banchan unique to Korea? Claims that Korean food has no sugar or oil Korean language and the outdated Ural-Altaic theory Ancient DNA and whether genetics can explain cuisine The debate over chili peppers and Korean food history Why the paper argues royal court cuisine isn't Korean How academic papers should distinguish evidence from advocacy Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 03:12 Why this paper caught our attention 08:45 "Correcting" Korean food history 15:20 Korea as an isolated civilization 22:08 Is banchan unique? 28:41 The claims about sugar, oil, and Korean cooking 35:15 Pottery, archaeology, and food history 42:10 Genetics, language, and extraordinary conclusions 49:55 The chili pepper controversy 56:30 Royal court cuisine and cultural identity 1:02:45 Final thoughts Mentioned During the Episode Science and Philosophy of Korea Traditional Foods (K-food) (Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2023) Traditional Korean cuisine Kimchi Banchan Joseon royal cuisine Korean food history The Columbian Exchange Ural-Altaic language theory Listen & Follow Website: https://darksideofseoul.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-side-of-seoul-podcast/id1504623984 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1lZBXNX79kwH2NXcJWNcb8 Patreon: https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul YouTube: https://youtube.com/@darksideofseoul Instagram: https://instagram.com/darksideofseoul Facebook: https://facebook.com/darksideofseoul Contact: [email protected] About The Dark Side of Seoul The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's darker history, folklore, true crime, urban legends, supernatural traditions, forgotten places, and the cultural stories that don't usually appear in guidebooks. New episodes include deep historical dives alongside our "Fun Sized" discussions of current events, controversies, and unusual aspects of life in Korea.   Notes Science and philosophy of Korea traditional foods (K-food) Dae Young Kwon,  Kim Soon-Hee,  Kyung Rhan Chung,  James W. Daily &  Sunmin Park    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42779-023-00194-3 Introduction Why This Paper Matters On the surface, this looks like an ordinary academic paper. It was published in 2023 in the Journal of Ethnic Foods, an open-access journal published by BioMed Central. It has multiple authors, references dozens of sources, and presents itself as a scientific examination of Korean food history and philosophy. But once you start reading it closely, something becomes obvious. The paper repeatedly makes sweeping historical, linguistic, archaeological, genetic, and anthropological claims that either go well beyond the available evidence or directly contradict mainstream scholarship. Rather than weighing competing explanations, it almost always arrives at the same conclusion: Korean food is uniquely independent, uniquely original, and fundamentally separate from neighboring cultures. That is what makes this paper interesting. Not because it's simply "wrong." Plenty of academic papers contain mistakes. It's interesting because it reflects a broader pattern that occasionally appears in Korean public discourse, media, and even academia: the desire to demonstrate Korean exceptionalism through scientific language. The Bigger Pattern Much of the paper revolves around proving things don't merely exist in Korea. They must be: older than everyone else's more original than everyone else's scientifically superior impossible to have borrowed from neighboring cultures It's the same pattern behind claims that: Korean is uniquely logical. Korean relationships are deeper because of speech levels. Metal chopsticks create better surgeons. Koreans excel at archery because of chopsticks. Kimchi predates chili peppers. Everything distinctive must have originated in Korea. Some of these are harmless internet folklore. Others find their way into books, museums, newspapers, documentaries, and occasionally academic publications. Why This Happens None of this appeared in a vacuum. Modern Korea emerged from colonization, war, dictatorship, and decades of being culturally overshadowed by larger neighbors. Building a strong national identity was an understandable project. The problem comes when pride begins driving the research instead of the research informing the pride. Good scholarship starts with evidence and follows wherever it leads. Nationalistic scholarship often starts with the conclusion and works backwards. That doesn't make every conclusion false. It does make readers ask a very different question: "Is this trying to discover the truth?" Or "Is this trying to prove something?" This paper often feels like the latter. 1. The Authors Set Themselves Up as the Correctors of History Page 1 "Nevertheless, until now, the history of food on the Korean Peninsula has been mainly studied by history scholars who can read Chinese characters rather than by natural scientists, resulting in errors and distortions in our understanding of the identity, history, and originality of Korean food. In this paper, we aim to correct these errors and distortions and to present scientifically validated research... Furthermore, we also aim to provide scientific truths..." Problems The paper begins by declaring that historians have distorted Korean food history while positioning the authors as the ones who possess the "scientific truths." Throughout the paper they continue using historical texts whenever those texts support their conclusions while dismissing them when they do not. It's an unusual way to frame an academic paper. Most research begins with questions, not with a declaration that previous scholarship is fundamentally wrong. 2. Korea Developed in Isolation Page 2 "The early Korean population developed their characteristic foods in relative isolation from other regions of Asia due to the oceans and rugged mountains surrounding the country. Therefore, we must be very careful when discussing the culture and history of Korean food through Chinese books... Korea has historically been geographically isolated... it was also so historically resistant to outside influences and interactions that it was commonly called the 'Hermit Kingdom.'" Problems This compresses thousands of years of Korean history into an isolation narrative. Korea maintained continuous contact with China, Japan, Jurchens, Mongols, and others through diplomacy, trade, religion, migration, and warfare. "Hermit Kingdom" describes a particular period of late Joseon diplomacy, not Korea's entire historical development. 3. Banchan Exists Nowhere Else Page 2 "Another distinctive feature of Korean cuisine is the unique presentation of bap and banchan... We call this banchan culture, and it is a food culture that does not exist in any other country in the world." Problems Korea's version is distinctive. The concept of eating a staple grain with multiple shared side dishes exists throughout East and Southeast Asia. The paper turns a distinctive tradition into an absolute claim. 4. Korea Had No Sugar or Oil Pages 2-3 "Not only do we have a different ethnic root than China, but we also do not have oil or sugar as elements to make food delicious agriculturally." ... "In an environment where livestock and dairy products did not exist, where sugar to provide a sweet taste was unavailable, and where there was no oil to enhance the flavor..." Problems Traditional Korean cooking uses sesame oil, perilla oil, honey, rice syrup (조청), and malt syrup. Traditional desserts like yakgwa depend on both oil and sweeteners. The paper repeatedly describes Korea as lacking ingredients that are well documented in Korean culinary history. 5. Tasteless Vegetables Are the Soul of Korean Food Page 3 "As with all vegetables and herbs, they have less flavor when they do not contain salt, fat, or protein. The essence of Korean cuisine lies in the spirit and wisdom of Korean ancestors on how to eat these tasteless vegetables deliciously, which can be said to be the soul of Korean food." Problems This is philosophy rather than food science. It's a perfectly reasonable cultural reflection. It should not be presented as scientific evidence. 6. Pottery Alone Proves Independent Food Culture Page 4 "The earthenware vessels found in Korea during the ancient times were... mostly different from that of China. From this alone, we can tell that the food culture of ancient times in Korea was independently formed from that of China." Problems "From this alone" is an enormous leap. Archaeologists do not infer entire culinary traditions from pottery styles alone. Different pottery demonstrates different pottery. 7. Korean and Chinese Are Completely Different Peoples Pages 4-5 "The Korean and Chinese peoples are ethnologically different nations." ... "Korea has continued to develop independently thereby developing and preserving its own culture and history without being culturally absorbed by the country of China." Problems Korean civilization certainly developed its own identity. But history also documents centuries of exchange in religion, administration, philosophy, literature, technology and cuisine.

Send us Fan Mail After the release of his book Supernatural Encounters in South Korea, one of the comments Shawn received surprised him. Several readers expected a book about ghosts to be written by a true believer. Instead, they found a surprisingly skeptical approach to paranormal claims. One reviewer described the book as "a rather clever turn," while another called Shawn "a more discerning Peter Underwood." In this episode, Joe and Shawn discuss why skepticism is essential when researching ghost encounters, supernatural folklore, shamanism, and alleged hauntings. They explore pareidolia, memorates, social media ghost hunters, fraudulent psychics, and why cultural traditions should never be treated as automatic evidence for the supernatural. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Support the show Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/ Credits Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey Music by Soraksan Top tier Patrons Angel Earl Joel Bonomini Devon Hiphner Gabi Palomino Steve Marsh Eva Sikora Ron Chang Mackenzie Moore Hunter Winter Cecilia Löfgren Dumas Josephine Rydberg Devin Buchanan Ashley Wright George Irion Facebook Page | Instagram Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail South Korea just held its 9th nationwide local elections on June 3, 2026, and what should have been a routine referendum on President Lee Jae-myung's first year turned into a genuine mess. Polling stations in Seoul started running out of ballot paper mid-day. Voters waited hours. Some gave up and left. In Songpa and Gangnam, people were still voting at 10 p.m. And then the protesters showed up to block the ballot boxes. Joe and Shawn break down what actually happened, why the National Election Commission's explanation is both accurate and embarrassing, and why "we ran out of paper" is such a uniquely devastating failure for an institution that was already under scrutiny. They also take a longer look at Korea's post-1987 democratic history, a list of election fiascos that includes vote-buying rice bags, NIS agents running smear campaigns online, COVID ballot chaos, and a 2022 election where the main controversy was that ballots were being transported in plastic baskets you'd buy at Daiso. Korea's democracy is real. It's also messy, loudly contested, and occasionally embarrassing. This episode is about both of those things being true at the same time. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Support the show Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/ Credits Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey Music by Soraksan Top tier Patrons Angel Earl Joel Bonomini Devon Hiphner Gabi Palomino Steve Marsh Eva Sikora Ron Chang Mackenzie Moore Hunter Winter Cecilia Löfgren Dumas Josephine Rydberg Devin Buchanan Ashley Wright George Irion Facebook Page | Instagram Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail A car exploded in Shawn’s neighborhood, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed multiple vehicles and exposed a brutal insurance loophole in Korea. In this Fun Sized episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the recent fire involving a smoking vehicle that erupted near a GS25 convenience store, igniting a nearby van and damaging surrounding buildings. The discussion quickly turns to the aftermath, where the owner of the destroyed van discovered his insurance would not pay because the vehicle had allegedly been parked improperly. The result: roughly 20 million won out of pocket, business disruption, and another example of how small legal technicalities in Korea can suddenly become life-changing disasters. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Support the show Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/ Credits Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey Music by Soraksan Top tier Patrons Angel Earl Joel Bonomini Devon Hiphner Gabi Palomino Steve Marsh Eva Sikora Ron Chang Mackenzie Moore Hunter Winter Cecilia Löfgren Dumas Josephine Rydberg Devin Buchanan Ashley Wright George Irion Facebook Page | Instagram Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.