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The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
ZenKimchi
302 episodes
1 day ago
Send us a text Our 300th episode! Pojangmacha didn’t disappear by accident. In Part 2 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, Joe and Shawn trace how Seoul’s soju tents went from survival spaces to cultural nuisances, then to nostalgic props. From Olympic-era crackdowns and hired enforcers to violent evictions, gentrification, and sanitized “sensibility pocha streets,” this episode looks at how modernization erased a vital part of everyday life. This isn’t a story about food. It’s about power,...
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Send us a text Our 300th episode! Pojangmacha didn’t disappear by accident. In Part 2 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, Joe and Shawn trace how Seoul’s soju tents went from survival spaces to cultural nuisances, then to nostalgic props. From Olympic-era crackdowns and hired enforcers to violent evictions, gentrification, and sanitized “sensibility pocha streets,” this episode looks at how modernization erased a vital part of everyday life. This isn’t a story about food. It’s about power,...
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History
Places & Travel,
Society & Culture,
True Crime
Episodes (20/302)
The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Christmas Nightmares 2: Holiday Crimes
Send us a text Christmas is often framed as a moment of peace, forgiveness, and reflection. But in Korean history, Christmas Eve has repeatedly been chosen for violence, punishment, and erasure. In Part 2 of Christmas Nightmares, we examine three chilling cases tied to the holiday. We begin with the Seokdal-ri Massacre of 1949, when South Korean soldiers burned a mountain village and executed dozens of civilians on Christmas Eve — a crime buried by the state for decades. We then move to the e...
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Few seconds ago
38 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Christmas Nightmares 1: Darkest Holiday Stories
Send us a text Christmas is supposed to be a time of warmth, safety, and reunion. But history doesn’t always cooperate. In Part 1 of our two-part Christmas Nightmares series, we explore some of Korea’s darkest stories tied to the holiday season. We begin with the Heungnam Evacuation of 1950, remembered as the Miracle of Christmas, when nearly 100,000 refugees escaped North Korea by sea. But behind the miracle were impossible choices, brutal exclusions, and families torn apart in the freezing ...
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6 days ago
50 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
K-Hacked: How Coupang Exposed Korea’s Cybersecurity Mess
Send us a text Shawn and Joe dig into Korea’s crumbling cybersecurity myth and the Coupang leak that exposed almost every user in the country. Korea sells itself as an IT powerhouse, but behind the fiber optics sit outdated servers, neglected government systems, weak regulations and a corporate culture that treats security like a box to check. From the SK Telecom and Lotte Card breaches to the government’s own embarrassing hacks, the episode breaks down why Korea keeps getting hit, why compan...
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1 week ago
55 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Weird Tours
Send us a text Shawn and Joe trade war stories from the front lines of Seoul’s tour scene. Influencers melting down in costume, drunk guests apologizing between vomit breaks, bathroom disappearances, oddball actors who steal the show, couples who arrive mid-argument, and reviews born from pure misunderstanding. The episode digs into what really derails a tour, how guides survive it, and why some guests treat history like fan fiction. Add a little wildlife drama, a clown fight, a Kenny G buske...
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3 weeks ago
1 hour 20 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Short: The Expat Quest for Thanksgiving
Send us a text This is a blog post I (Joe) wrote on ZenKimchi.com in 2012 about the extreme lengths expats in Korea would go to for creating Thanksgiving in their adopted country. I exhume this post every year to remind myself and others that giving thanks goes beyond turkey, Macy’s parades, and football. 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://d...
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1 month ago
14 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
The Secret Military Club That Hijacked Korea
Send us a text Korea’s modern history has plenty of villains, but Hanahoe might be the most quietly terrifying. This was the private club of military officers that spent decades pulling strings behind the scenes and building the foundation for South Korea’s authoritarian era. Chun Doo hwan and Roh Tae woo did not just show up and grab power. They were groomed for it inside this secret alumni club of Air Force cadets who treated the nation like their future inheritance. We get into the shadow ...
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1 month ago
46 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Moving Graves
Send us a text Special Guest: Ron Chang Korean graves do not always stay where you put them. In this episode, Ron Chang joins us to talk about what it is really like to exhume and relocate family graves in Korea. Ron recently moved the graves of his grandmother and grandfather from a remote mountain cemetery in Yangju to the special North Korean heritage cemetery near Paju. We talk about Korean exhumation culture, pungsu, why graves get moved, and what actually happens on the day a burial mou...
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1 month ago
53 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
The West Comes Knocking | The Fall of Joseon, part 18 (1791-1801)
Send us a text When a Dutch sailor shipwrecked on Jeju in 1627, he thought he’d been captured by cannibals. Instead, he became Korea’s first Westerner—and the first sign of change that would shake Joseon to its core. This episode traces the arrival of Western guns, God, and ideas—from Jan Janse de Weltevree to the Catholic persecutions of 1801—as Korea’s Confucian order faces its first real collision with the West. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul...
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1 month ago
43 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Haunted Barracks: Korea’s Military Ghost Stories
Send us a text The Korean military is haunted — literally and culturally. Soldiers whisper about phantom footsteps, cold spots inside fences, and radio calls from the dead. In this episode, we look at the legends that thrive in Korea’s barracks: the White-Clad Old Man, the Combat Boot Ghost, the Ammunition Depot Spirits, and the Fog Ghost along the DMZ. We also unpack why these stories endure. Is it trauma made visible? Shared imagination? Or proof that some soldiers never stopped serving? Me...
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1 month ago
1 hour 6 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Shawn Wrote a Spooky Book
Send us a text Here it is! Finally! Shawn Morrissey's much anticipated book of Korean supernatural encounters is released. We ask him your questions. Will he answer them? 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...
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2 months ago
54 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Why Korean City Slogans Sound So Weird (and Why We Love Them Anyway)
Send us a text Korean cities love English slogans, but rarely get them right. From “Hi Seoul” to “Busan is Good,” we explore how Korea’s branding obsession created a national genre of delightful linguistic chaos. 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....
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2 months ago
1 hour 5 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
From Madness to Reform | The Fall of Joseon, part 17
Send us a text King Jeongjo inherited a kingdom broken by madness, murder, and factional greed. In this episode, we look at how the grandson of Yeongjo—and son of the doomed Prince Sado—tried to rebuild the dynasty. From political purges and paranoid advisors to free-market experiments and the rise of new factions, Jeongjo’s reign was a fight to heal a wounded court without losing his crown. Starting at just $5/month, you can get a lot of extra content, including the following: Early episo...
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2 months ago
34 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Kidnapped!
Send us a text Kidnapping and abduction attempts are on the rise in Korea, with more than nine cases per week. We break down the numbers, the shocking cases from Seoul to Jeju, and the weak court responses that leave parents furious. From lures near schools to drug-laced drinks, we look at why this trend is growing and how authorities and families are responding. Starting at just $5/month, you can get a lot of extra content, including the following: Early episodesVideo podcastsBehind-th...
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2 months ago
59 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Cursed Landmarks
Send us a text We tour Korea’s “cursed landmarks,” from the Blue House to Jongno Tower, the National Assembly, Cheonggyecheon, and beyond. These sites carry dark folklore, bad feng shui, ghost stories, and political baggage. What makes a landmark “cursed,” and why do Koreans still talk about them? Starting at just $5/month, you can get a lot of extra content, including the following: Early episodesVideo podcastsBehind-the-scenes pre-ambles"Weird Tales from Korean Lore" - Folktales...
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3 months ago
58 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Cruel Summer 2: Crueler Summerer
Send us a text Our follow-up to Cruel Summer shows Korea’s August crimes were just as horrific. A shaman murdered her niece in a ritual. Couples turned their homes into crime scenes. Babies were abandoned for cash. Convenience store clerks were stabbed for no reason. This summer didn’t cool down. It only got darker. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMitchy BrewerHunter WinterCecilia Lö...
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3 months ago
54 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Cruel Summer
Send us a text Summer in Korea sucks. This was a record-breaking year for temps. Floods were awful again. Crime was pretty damn bad, too. Big one, little details: headless body found in Taebaeksan; wearing winter clothing - so been there a while. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMitchy BrewerHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasAshley WrightGeorge IrionKwang Ja MoonEdward BradfordBoram YoonChad S...
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3 months ago
49 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
K-Pop Demon Hunters: Folklore & Satire
Send us a text K-Pop Demon Hunters looks flashy on the surface, but it hides a lot of Korean folklore inside the glitter. We talk about mudang rituals, dokkaebi, tiger and magpie tricksters, and why the movie is both a tribute to K-Pop and a satire of idol culture. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMitchy BrewerHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasAshley WrightGeorge IrionKwang Ja MoonEdward Bradf...
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3 months ago
1 hour 17 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
The Wailing Woman and the Red-Hatted Ghosts of Korea | Spooky Chills Summer
Send us a text We close out Spooky Summer with a set of chilling Korean ghost stories and urban legends. Joe shares tales of the Wailing Woman, the Red-Hatted Ghosts, and the eerie story of “Visiting the Grandparents.” Shawn brings first-hand accounts from interviews, from couples plagued by unseen forces to political hauntings at City Hall. A mix of folklore, rumor, and lived experience rounds out the series. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDe...
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3 months ago
1 hour 8 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Ghost Stories That Grew Up With the City | Spooky Chills Summer
Send us a text A chill night-walk through Korea’s darker folklore: we bring together old graves, cursed bills, haunted portraits, and digital terrors. Hear how a man’s midnight pit stop frees a trapped virgin ghost in 1930s Jeonju, why a gruesome urban legend is said to hide inside Korean currency, and how a painting and an elevator can quietly rewrite your life. Then we go online — the Red Room and the infamous cursed number remind you that modern technology has its own ways of keeping night...
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4 months ago
1 hour

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
11 Haunted Haunts of Seoul | Spooky Chills Summer
Send us a text Shawn and Joe guide you through 11 of Seoul’s eeriest locations—from the pressure-draining crossroads at Sejong Intersection to the ginkgo-guarded spirits of Marronnier Park. Along the way you’ll encounter singing servants of a Japanese collaborator, phantom beggars at Jongmyo Park, wailing soldiers outside the university morgue, and more. Get your map ready, because these spots are the stuff of nightmares. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel B...
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4 months ago
46 minutes

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Send us a text Our 300th episode! Pojangmacha didn’t disappear by accident. In Part 2 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, Joe and Shawn trace how Seoul’s soju tents went from survival spaces to cultural nuisances, then to nostalgic props. From Olympic-era crackdowns and hired enforcers to violent evictions, gentrification, and sanitized “sensibility pocha streets,” this episode looks at how modernization erased a vital part of everyday life. This isn’t a story about food. It’s about power,...