
Advertise on podcast: Korea Deconstructed
Rating
4.5from
This podcast has
121 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
David TizzardExplicit
No
Date created
2021/09/24
Latest episode
2026/01/27
Average duration
95 min.
Release period
16 days
Description
Exploring Korea through open conversations with historians, students, professors, pop stars, and everyone in between. Learn, reflect, and understand with Korea Deconstructed. The host, David Tizzard, has a Phd in Korean Studies and is a Professor at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He also writes a weekly column in the Korea Times.
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Kim Mi-young: Itaewon and the Search for Identity
2026/01/27
Episode Summary:
What defines a neighborhood? In this episode, we are joined by Mi-young Kim, a writer and essayist who has written about the unique culture and practices of Itaewon in Seoul. We dive into her latest book, Itaewon Is My Home (이태원에 삽니다), and explore how "place" shapes our sense of self.
About the Guest:
Mi-young Kim is an essayist and the Korean Director of the International Comedy Association. Having majored in Philosophy and Arts Management, Mi-young explores the intersections of identity and place. She is the author of the essay Bellefleur's Dream and her newest work, Itaewon Is My Home (이태원에 삽니다). Beyond her writing, Mi-young leads a community of creators through writing groups focused on self-discovery and healing.
Miyoung's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellefleur_de_france/
이태원에 삽니다: https://www.yes24.com/product/goods/172736056
Discussion Outline
0:00 Introduction
2:30 Who is Kim Mi-young?
10:55 Moving to Itaewon
28:54 Being a Writer
33:22 Meditation
39:00 Discovering the Self
48:10 The Importance of the Book
Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert
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.
Connect with us:
▶ Get in touch: [email protected]
▶ 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
Bong Joon Ho: Filmmaker and Philosopher
2026/01/15
Anthony Curtis Adler is professor of German and Comparative Literature at Yonsei University's Underwood International College, where he has taught since 2006. His present research interests span modern and Classical literature, literary theory, continental philosophy, media studies, and German idealism.
Academia : https://yonsei.academia.edu/AnthonyCurtisAdler
Bong Joon Ho book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/bong-joon-ho-9781350414655/
Celebricities: https://www.amazon.com/Celebricities-Culture-Phenomenology-Commodity-Inventing/dp/0823270807/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Discussion Outline
0:00 The Blandness of Face
2:45 Bong Joon Ho's Reputation
9:30 Categorizing Bong's Movies
12:25 Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)
22:20 Memories of Murder (2003)
41:10 Mother (2009)
48:50 Morality and Anti-Americanism in Bong's Movies
52:50 The Host (2006)
1:01:15 Okja (2017) and Snowpiercer (2013)
1:11:45 Parasite (2019)
1:25:45 Recommendations
Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels, Ell, Johnathan Filbert
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 [email protected].
▶ David's Insta: @datizzard
▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed
▶ Listen on Apple: 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
Korean Indie Music, Capitalism, and Cultural Identity
2025/12/23
In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we explore Korean indie music, its culture, artists, and how capitalism and technology is reshaping the K-indie scene. Joined by Zuza Sołtykowska, a Polish writer and academic based in London, we discuss Korean language studies, underground music culture, and the tensions between art, industry, and economic growth.
Zuza is a Polish writer and academic currently based in London. Her work spans Korean indie music, film, and art, with a particular focus on gender, cultural identity, and economic equality.
Find her online https://www.instagram.com/zuzasoltykowska/
https://www.koreanindie.com/author/zuza/
Discussion Outline
0:00 Discovering the Korean Language
7:20 Identity and Being Polish
9:05 Introduction to Korean Indie Music
15:40 Writing and Researching K-Indie
21:20 Capitalism and the Indie Music Industry
33:30 The Growth of Korean Indie Music
40:00 Ideology and Meaning in K-Indie
47:12 Rethinking the Korean Music Industry
51:36 The Beauty of Korean Indie + Artist Recommendations
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 [email protected].
Connect with us:
▶ 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
The Hidden Realities of Studying in Korea
2025/11/23
What's it really like to study in South Korea? In this episode, I sit down with four exchange students from around the world to talk honestly and openly about their experiences at Korean universities. We cover everything from first impressions and making Korean friends to campus culture, visa challenges, professors, trends, expectations, and the toughest parts of living here as a foreigner.
Dillon
Lia (https://www.instagram.com/lia_nana9/)
Zhaniya
Joana
Topics & Timestamps
0:00 Expectations Before Coming to Korea
10:10 First Impressions
20:00 Interacting with Korean People
30:00 Making Friends in Korea
40:00 Studying in Korea
48:20 Korean Professors
1:07:00 Korean University Campus
1:13:20 Working on a Student Visa
1:21:20 Korean Trends
1:41:15 Hardest Thing About Being a Foreigner
1:56:05 Advice for Studying in Korea
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 [email protected].
Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076
Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos
Music by Jocelyn Clark
Thank you to 한종철 for helping me record this.
▶ Get in touch: [email protected]
▶ 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
Korea in 1980s: Heritage, Hallyu, and the Making of Modern Identity | Dr. Roald Maliangkay
2025/11/16
In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, David Tizzard speaks with Dr. Roald Maliangkay about the forces that shaped modern Korea, its culture, speed, identity, and contradictions. We explore Korea in the 1980s; North Korean pro wrestling; the rise of gossip magazines; the banning of Chinese characters; the manufacturing of Korean heritage; and the origins of Korea's bballi-bballi (빨리빨리) culture. We also dive into folk music, Sino-Korean relations, Korea's global image, and the evolving future of Korean Studies. Roald's work uncovers how cultural narratives are made, forgotten, and reinvented. This is a conversation for anyone interested in Korean history, identity formation, and the cultural mechanics behind modern Korea.
Roald's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Voices-Postcolonial-Entanglements-Preservation/dp/0824866657
Discussion Outline
0:00 Korea in the 1980s
10:30 North Korean Pro Wrestling
17:18 South Korean Gossip Magazines
24:00 Banning the Chinese Script
26:26 Manucfacturing Korean Heritage
35:30 The emergence of Bballi Bballi
49:20 Exploring Folk Music
1:02:15 Korea and China
1:14:25 Korea's Image Abroad
1:29:10 The Future of Korean Studies
1:36:20 Closing Idea
Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels
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 [email protected].
Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076
Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos
Music by Jocelyn Clark
Thank you to 한종철 for helping me record this.
Connect with us:
▶ Get in touch: [email protected]
▶ 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
Four Korean Women Talk Feminism, Culture, and Professional Careers
2025/11/02
Many Korean women face both institutional barriers and everyday cultural expectations. Life often feels mapped out in advance, and those who deviate from that path meet resistance or worse. Meanwhile, the media tends to celebrate only the rich and famous, making it harder to see the everyday heroes and role models who truly reflect women's lives in Korea.
In this episode, I'm joined by Minyoung Kim, Victoria Yi, Sarah Soeun Lee, and Sangeun Kim — a team of writers behind a recently published bilingual book that shares real stories of women's experiences in Korea: their challenges, frustrations, families, dreams, and triumphs. Together, we talk about what it means to live honestly in a society that often prefers silence.
Apologies for the sound issues in this one. It was a new set-up and mistakes were made. Hopefully you can still find value in the courage and ideas of the four women.
Book Links
📘 Amazon: https://a.co/d/hCzXIyF (Currently only the eBook is available.)
📗 The printed edition will be officially released on major global retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others on December 19th.
If you can't wait, you can purchase the printed version directly through BookBaby: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/bethekey
Discussion Outline:
0:00 Introduction
8:05 Beyond Stereotypes
15:40 The Power of Community
28:05 Writing a Book
42:00 On Feminism
56:52 Hierarchical Korean Language
1:06:50 Changes in Korean Society
1:27:00 Hope for the Future
1:40:40 Recommendations
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.
Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076
Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos
Music by Jocelyn Clark
Thank you to 한종철 for helping me record this.
Connect with us:
▶ Get in touch: [email protected]
▶ 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
Breastfeeding vs Capitalism: Motherhood and Culture in Korea
2025/10/21
Liss Anda is a clincal psychologist and associate professor working at the University of Stavanger, Norway. Her research currently centers on perinatal mental health. She is especially interested in how cultural understandings and practices of maternity interact with mental wellbeing in new mothers. She also receives clients in a private practice as a therapist, where she takes a humanist and eclectic approach.
She has two kids, two cats, nine fish and some shrimp, has fully renovated two traditional wooden houses from 1908, the latter of which also just about fits her husband. She loves travelling, reading, cinema, eating and laughing. She is a Korean adoptee, born in Busan.
Find Liss online
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/psykologliss/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@psykologliss
Her book: https://enkelbutikk.no/psykolog-liss-anda
Discussion Outline
0:00 Postpartum depression
5:39 Baby wearing
11:50 Is motherhood innate?
16:50 Are attitudes to children changing?
21:10 Are we better educated?
31:00 Are parents different from non-parents?
35:50 Korean motherhood
50:40 Teenage Mothers and Exporting Children
58:00 Changing gender attitudes
1:08:55 Is the collective unconsciousness real?
1:19:00 Love in Korean society
1:36 Advice for parents
Appendix and Glossary of Terms: https://www.patreon.com/posts/141703371
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 [email protected].
Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076
Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos
Music by Jocelyn Clark
Thank you to 한종철 for helping me record this.
Connect with us:
▶ Get in touch: [email protected]
▶ 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
Korean Architecture and the Weight of Han
2025/10/11
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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
▶ 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
The Spirit of Korea: Pungryu Explained by Jun Bum Sun
2025/09/28
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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
▶ 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
Korean Beauty, Fashion, and Lookism
2025/09/14
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 [email protected].
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
Korean Buddhism, Meditation, and Stories of Enlightenment
2025/08/27
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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
▶ 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
Trump, Xi Jinping and Lee Jae Myung
2025/08/16
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 [email protected].
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
Ra Jong-yil on Korea: History, Memory, and Presidents
2025/08/03
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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
▶ 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
Parasocial Love & The Global K-pop Explosion
2025/07/14
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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
▶ 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
Crash Landing on Meaning: Life, Class, and Rediscovery through Korea
2025/06/29
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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
▶ 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
Podcast reviews
Read Korea Deconstructed podcast reviews
Obdurate42 2024/07/15
Simply Awesome!
I thoroughly enjoy this podcast and the variety of topics discussed. I’ve learned so many things and always come back for more. Keep bringing the love...
britzman 2023/03/07
Understand nuances of Korea.
Fantastic podcast if you want to understand Korea on a deeper level. The host asks questions that reveals issues Korea faces from generational tension...
papixshampoo 2022/04/03
Nancy
I wanna see more trap from sunny girls,
Gabsea 2022/04/28
Really great Korean critical thinking podcast
I absolutely love this podcast and it’s ability to breakdown complex topics and discuss them in detail. The episodes are engaging and the host is good...
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