On episode 110 hosts Andre Goulet and Gennie Pimentel welcome Shanna Tan , translator of the smash hit book WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP by Hwang Bo-reum . In this conversation Shanna explains why a slice of life novel about a high-flying career woman in Seoul who leaves a life of burnout and marital misery to open a book shop outside of the city has become a massive international success in a conversation exploring the barbarity of life under late capitalism and the changing face of cont...
Mar 12, 2024•39 min
On episode 109 Dr. Theresa Hyun , a York University professor and the author of “ Writing Women in Korea: Translation and Feminism in the Colonial Period ”, joins hosts Andre Goule t and Gennie Pimentel to talk about children’s literature, fairy tales and the role of mothers in the North Korean revolution. Plus: a surprising data set on the number of immigrant and multiethnic children who live outside of Seoul and a clip from episode 1 of the classic North Korean children's cartoon 'Squirrel and...
Dec 17, 2023•34 min
On episode 108 Seoul National University master's student An HaKyeng's joins hosts Andre Goulet in Montreal and Gennie Pimentel in Toronto for a conversation unpacking her research on the immigration experience for new arrivals, the challenges migrant workers face in South Korea, ethnonationalism, fertility rates, government policy and more. Works cited in this episode: Immigration in Japan and Social Mobility: Policies and Implications - HaKyeng An, Henry Cho, Wakana Moriguchi Social capital an...
Jul 18, 2023•53 min
On episode 107 Cambridge PhD candidate Alexandra Leonzini joins Andre Goulet and co-host Gennie Pimentel for a conversation exploring how music builds soft power and promotes national prestige, the DPRK opera's greatest hits, cultural diplomacy and the Cold War, how tourists serve as intermediaries in North Korea’s noraebang branding efforts and more. Watch 'Where Are You, General?' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCGkIwZa2UE Watch 'Sea of Blood' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quIl4qeEWog...
Apr 17, 2023•48 min
On ep106 Korea University PhD candidate Elizabeth Campbell joins host Andre Goulet and associate producer Gennie Pimentel for a conversation exploring the role of women in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's revolutionary past and present, the legacy of anti-Japanese guerrilla and 1st Kim Il-sung spouse Kim Jong-suk, the influence of 1972 cult classic film 'Flower Girl' on DPRK cinema, regional North Korean cuisine and more. This conversation was recorded on January 19th, 2023. Find some...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr
On episode 105 Toronto podcasters Erin Hynes and Kattie Laur, host and producer of the ethical travel show 'Alpaca My Bags', sit down with Montreal astronomer (and recent Busan/Jeju tourist) Trevor Kjorlien for a round-table conversation on ethical travel, the end of the 'Golden Age' of flying and how to approach international travel in an era of climate crisis with TKF host Andre Goulet and new associate producer Gennie Kim Pimentel. Subscribe to Alpaca My Bags wherever you get your podcasts an...
Oct 27, 2022•59 min
Widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary is the unsurpassed guide of its meaning, history, and pronunciation featuring more than 600,000 words and spanning over 1000 years. In this conversation UK scholar Cerise Louisa Andrews joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the recent influx of Korean-origin words into English, the influence of the Hallyu phenomenon, and the global success of Korean culture, music, film, television, fashion and food. Yo...
Aug 04, 2022•37 min
On a new episode scholar Mikayla Neyens joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the cultural events that have inspired and defined contemporary feminism in South Korea, exploring the new face of radical activism confronting the threats of Deepfake porn, 'Molka' and the 'Nth Room' cyber sex ring, and explaining how its rising political influence nearly defeated a misogynist political establishment in the 2022 Presidential election. For more from Mikayla read https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/k78zzy/k...
May 07, 2022•34 min
Michael Breen, CEO of Seoul-based PR firm Insight Communications Consultants and author of the outstanding 2017 book ‘The New Koreans: The Story of a Nation', joins host Andre Goulet to preview next week's Presidential Election and explore the unique ideological history and framework behind South Korean electoral politics. For more on Michael's most recent book see https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/29939342-the-new-koreans Order your Seoulbox at https://myseoulbox.com/ Support The Korea Fil...
Mar 03, 2022•59 min
Seoulbox has been bringing a taste of Korea through snacks, magazines, and K-pop merch to subscribers around the world since 2019 with a focus on authenticity and the darker side of Korean culture that has cultivated an enthusiastic clientele. In this conversation Suji Sohn joins host Andre Goulet to describe her journey from War Studies major at King’s College London, where she participated in the War Simulation Society, the Marxist Society and the Korean Hallyu Society, to CEO of one of the wo...
Jan 16, 2022•37 min
On a celebratory 100th episode host Andre Goulet welcomes Harbinger Media Network podcast pals Paris Marx of leftist tech worldview critique show Tech Won't Save Us and Evan MacDonald of socialist film review show Kino Lefter to explore the historical parallels and context of Squid Game, examine the show's cultural capitalist critique, regret impulsive investments in crypto currency and try to explain why we can't help but hate those notorious VIPs. Hear Paris' popular tech critique show Tech Wo...
Nov 02, 2021•55 min
On the 99th episode of The Korea File podcast diplomatic studies scholar Jeffrey Robertson joins host Andre Goulet to argue that foreign policy options previously considered extreme – like abandoning the US alliance, acceding to China’s dominance and even of securing a nuclear weapons capacity – are entering strategic debate in South Korea. Follow Robertson on Twitter @Junotane and read his piece at https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/coming-soon-neutral-south-korea Find out more about...
Jan 30, 2021•38 min
Armed with theory set out in the "Korean Revolution Manifesto" and practical experience drawn from the March 1st Independence Movement, in 1925 worker and citizen organizations including the Daegu League of Truth and Fraternity, the Changwon Black Friend League and the Jeju Island Mutual Aid group began to organize on the peninsula. In the summer of 1929 Anarchists formed an administration representing more than 2 million Koreans in the Manchurian province of Shinmin, but by the summer of 1931 S...
Dec 27, 2020•54 min
What is alternative education in Korea? To answer this question, Contemporary Rebellions welcomes Tae Wook Ha, an activist and professor of Alternative Education at Asia Life University in the city of Daejeon and Minyeong Kim, a graduate of one of the first wave of accredited Korean alternative high schools and a current staff member at the NGO World Without War. In these conversations they discuss the Law on Alternative Education Institutions that's currently in front of the National Assembly, ...
Nov 27, 2020•1 hr 4 min
On a very special Halloween episode of The Korea File hear a haunting and horrific conversation between guest Joe McPherson (The Wall Street Journal, The Korea Herald, National Geographic, Zen Kimchi) and host Andre Goulet as they explore his 'The Dark Side of Seoul' walking tour, podcast and comic book and share some seasonally terrifying tales of terror in the shadowy and wind-swept hallways of the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. Listen to the podcast at https://darksideofseoul.com/pod...
Oct 24, 2020•52 min
Since the end of the nineteenth century, Korea has faced waves of foreign domination, authoritarian regimes and divided development and, throughout these turbulent times, “queer” Koreans have been ignored, minimized and erased in historical narrative. But a new collection of academic writing is challenging this marginalization through critical analysis of non-normative sexuality and gender variance. On episode 96 of The Korea File academic Todd Henry, editor of ‘Queer Korea’ and an authority on ...
Sep 25, 2020•45 min
In the charged political climate of '80s South Korea, university freshman Kim Hyun-sook finds refuge in the comfort of literature as the youngest member of a Banned Book Club, the title of the acclaimed 2019 graphic novel from Kim, co-author Ryan Estrada and artist Ko Hyung-ju. On episode 95 of The Korea File, Estrada joins host Andre Goulet to discuss censorship, sequential art and what Kim's powerful story of repression and dissent has to tell us about contemporary Korean politics, illiberalis...
Aug 19, 2020•39 min
How has K-pop evolved and changed over the last decade? Is right-wing political paranoia about Tiktok teens and BTS Army activism exaggerated? And is the so-called 'dark side' of the industry just a reflection of broader South Korean society? On episode 94 of The Korea File K-pop authority Dr. CedarBough Saeji educates host Andre Goulet on the history, impact and world-wide popularity of the country's most influential cultural export. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Royal Asi...
Jul 26, 2020•53 min
Introducing a special presentation of the March episode of Contemporary Rebellions: Yonsan. Never again everyone said. Yet in February, 2020 hired thugs attacked the Noryangjin Fish Market workers. The latest episode of the show explores how displacement and state sanctioned violence, as well as resistance to redevelopment and forced evictions, continue. The Contemporary Rebellions podcast is produced by a non-hierarchical volunteer collective based in Seoul with connections across the country. ...
Jun 24, 2020•56 min
A powerful new memoir ‘Witnessing Gwangju’ was released this month to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising. The book’s author, former American Peace Corps volunteer Paul Courtright, was one of only a handful of foreign witnesses to this pivotal event in modern South Korean history. On episode 93 of The Korea File, he joins host Andre Goulet to explore how his simple rural life of living and treating patients in the South Jeolla leprosy village of Hohyewan in May, 1...
May 24, 2020•56 min
On episode 92 sociologist Jacob Reidhead and host Andre Goulet discuss the origins of the Democratic Party’s unprecedented victory in April’s parliamentary elections and contrast South Korea’s patron-client political party system with Japan and Taiwan’s faction-based traditions. Plus: rumors, America’s failed media ecosystem and the life and 'death' of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society- Korea Branch. Find out more a...
Apr 28, 2020•47 min
On episode 91 of The Korea File visual sociologist, street photographer and Korea National University of the Arts cultural theory lecturer Michael Hurt joins host Andre Goulet to explore what the Moon Jae-in administration's COVID-19 management strategy tells us about how different styles of government engage with crisis. Plus: critiquing Confucian blaming and reflections on Seoul's new normal in an age of pandemic. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society- Korea...
Mar 29, 2020•46 min
On episode 90 of The Korea File it's a conversation on cults, conspiracies and the peninsula's very viral winter as host Andre Goulet welcomes freelance journalist, pirate, indie musician and media promoter Japhy Ryder. For more from World Pirate Radio go to https://www.wprpn.com/ Check out Peter Daley's appearances on WPRPN at https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/space-pirate-radio/episodes/2016-06-18T10_27_43-07_00 and at https://archive.org/details/Episode102PeterDaleyReturns Support the show a...
Feb 28, 2020•47 min
On episode 89 of The Korea File: 'Campus Music' and martial law, the K-Pop precedent of the USFK's factory band system and some of the best music of an era. Join academic Matt Van Volkenburg (Gusts of Popular Feeling) and host Andre Goulet for an in-depth conversation on the music, personalities and history of 60s/70s Korean counter-culture.....plus: the not-so-secret history of President Park Chung-hee, composer. Music on this episode: * 송창식 - 고래사냥 * 어니언스 – 작은 새 * Key Boys - 뱃노리 * 강근식 - 별들의 고향 ...
Jan 30, 2020•43 min
On episode 88 of The Korea File podcast, cultural and culinary anthropologist Jennifer Flinn joins host Andre Goulet to explain how factors like the decline in multi-generational family living, the increasing age when Koreans first get married and the globalization and urbanization of South Korea are altering traditional assumptions about gender and cooking in Korea. Plus: ghost tours, historical trauma and a menu for apocalyptic dining. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Royal ...
Nov 29, 2019•41 min
Why does Gangnam, and so much of Korea, feel artificial and improvised? How are urban apartment complexes like undemocratic military bases? And will Seoul end up another megacity playground for tourists and the super rich like London, New York or Tokyo? Independent linguist Robert Fouser, a former Seoul National University Department of Korean Language professor and the author of the new Korean-language book ‘Exploring Cities’ joins host Andre Goulet to explore all this and more on episode 87 of...
Oct 27, 2019•40 min
In a break month for content, The Korea File is proud to present Singapore-based Shida Osman in conversation with TKF's Andre Goulet on 'The Podcast Show'. TPS show notes describe the conversation as follows: “Consistency, would be the key to a successful podcast”,says Andre Goulet, podcast host of The Korea File. The conversation unveils why he chose Korea, what happened to the punk rock band that he played in, his love for Korea's architecture and why he chose Bulgogi, in the “This or That” ga...
Sep 26, 2019•36 min
Traditional Korean homes have become a victim of recent waves of gentrification in Ikseon-dong and Bukchon. But as these old residential neighbourhoods become a haven for hipsters, the unique cultural footprint of an important aspect of Seoul’s history is being erased. On episode 86 of The Korea File, Ji-hoon Suk, a University of Michigan Ph.D. student in Asian History and a keen observer of cultural heritage in the metropolis, joins host Andre Goulet to explore the rich historic legacy of some ...
Aug 27, 2019•35 min
Introducing Jeju Views, a biweekly snapshot of the global microcosm that is Jeju Island. Join host Ann Bush and guests in conversation as they discuss how to navigate the ever-evolving multicultural landscape of the South Korean island. On episode 1, performer Gaelan Whitney opens up about a recent production of the spoken word and comedy show 'Vajeju Nights' and how some Yemeni refugees in attendance may not have been expecting what they were in for. CONTENT ADVISORY: This conversation explores...
Jul 29, 2019•24 min
On episode 85 of The Korea File,‘Transactions’ journal General Editor Jon Dunbar joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Urban Exploration and Bong Joon-ho’s ‘The Host’, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival and the American Embassy’s rainbow Pride flag and the legacy and future of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch. Plus: highlights from this year’s edition of the journal including the North Korea/Guyana Friendship Association, Patrilineage and the Chaebols and the predictive power of Taemon Dreams. ...
Jun 27, 2019•35 min
