The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Joe visited a brand-new free museum in Seoul’s Insadong neighborhood, built directly on top of a six-year archaeological excavation. What the dig exposed was a layer of the city dating to the late 1500s, essentially Seoul right before the Japanese invasions of 1592 destroyed it. The Insadong Urban Heritage Exhibition Hall opened in July 2026… Read more: The Museum That Won’t Tell You Its Own Story

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… Read more: The Ulsan Family Tragedy

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… Read more: The Weird Science Behind Korean Food Nationalism

After the release of 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… Read more: The Korean Ghost and Mr. Skeptic

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,… Read more: Paper Problems: South Korea’s Election Fiasco Explained