The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
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The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Korean dark history, ghost tales, folklore, serial killers, true crime, and more. You are about to discover why Korea has the spookiest stories and darkest history.Folklorist Shawn and history buff Joe delve into Korea's gruesome stories of massacres, betrayals, and blood. It's like "Game of Thrones...
Episodi recenti
320 episodi
Tourist Season: Tourists from Hell (replay)
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 dive...
The Ulsan Family Tragedy
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,...
The Weird Science Behind Korean Food Nationalism
Dark Side of Seoul Podcast
Episode 316
The Weird Science Behind Korean Food Nationalism
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com...
The Korean Ghost and Mr. Skeptic
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After the release of his book Supernatural Encounters in South Korea, one of the comments Shawn received surprised him.
S...
Paper Problems: South Korea's Election Fiasco Explained
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South Korea just held its 9th nationwide local elections on June 3, 2026, and what should have been a routine referendum on Pre...
Burned Twice
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A car exploded in Shawn’s neighborhood, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed multiple vehicles and exposed a brutal insu...
The Dark Side of Finger Hearts - Fun Sized
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AI scams are getting weirder.
In this Fun Sized episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the rise of biometric crime in Korea and h...
Korean Myths that Won’t Die, and Some New Myths We Created | FUN SIZED!
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“Koreans are better surgeons because they use metal chopsticks.”
“Korean grammar makes people more emotionally intelligen...
Korea's Flashing Problem
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Flashing and public indecency have been a problem in Korea for decades, but recent cases suggest the issue may be getting worse...
The Composer Korea Tried to Execute
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Isang Yun was one of Korea’s most important composers, blending traditional Korean sounds with modern European music.
But...
Fun Size: Why Teachers in Korea Can’t Take Sick Days
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We’re back with another Fun Size episode.
This time, we’re looking at something that sounds simple on paper: sick leave....
The Korean Cherry Blossom Controversy
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Cherry blossoms might seem like the most harmless part of spring in Korea. But behind the crowds, festivals, and photo spots, t...
Fun Size: The Gwanghwamun Sign Controversy
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We’re trying something new.
This is our first Fun Size episode—a shorter format where we tackle current topics that spark...
The Korea “Would You Rather” Episode You Didn’t Know You Needed
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This episode takes a lighter turn with a “This or That” game that somehow turns into strong opinions about Korean food, hiking,...
Why You Can't Bury Your Pet in Korea
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Pet ownership in Korea is growing rapidly, but what happens when a beloved animal dies?
In this episode, Joe and Shawn ex...
SEAblings vs. K-netz: When K-pop Fandom Turned Into a Regional Reckoning
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A minor concert rule violation at a Day6 show in Kuala Lumpur ignites a much larger confrontation between Southeast Asian K-pop...
Reading the Dead: What Korean Graves Tell Us
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Winter is cemetery season in Korea.
With the grass dead, snakes gone, and sightlines open, this is when Korea’s hillside...
Who Should Still Be Driving in Korea?
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South Korea became a super-aged society in 2025. The effects are showing up everywhere, but nowhere more visibly than on the ro...
Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone? Part 2
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Our 300th episode!
Pojangmacha didn’t disappear by accident.
In Part 2 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, Joe a...
Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone? Part 1
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There is no Waffle House in Korea.
For decades, the pojangmacha was the last line of defense against going home hungry, b...
Christmas Nightmares 2: Holiday Crimes
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Christmas is often framed as a moment of peace, forgiveness, and reflection. But in Korean history, Christmas Eve has repeatedl...
Christmas Nightmares 1: Darkest Holiday Stories
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Christmas is supposed to be a time of warmth, safety, and reunion. But history doesn’t always cooperate.
In Part 1 of our...
K-Hacked: How Coupang Exposed Korea’s Cybersecurity Mess
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Shawn and Joe dig into Korea’s crumbling cybersecurity myth and the Coupang leak that exposed almost every user in the country....
Weird Tours
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Shawn and Joe trade war stories from the front lines of Seoul’s tour scene. Influencers melting down in costume, drunk guests a...
Short: The Expat Quest for Thanksgiving
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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 T...
The Secret Military Club That Hijacked Korea
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Korea’s modern history has plenty of villains, but Hanahoe might be the most quietly terrifying. This was the private club of m...
Moving Graves
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Special Guest: Ron Chang
Korean graves do not always stay where you put them. In this episode, Ron Chang joins us to talk...
The West Comes Knocking | The Fall of Joseon, part 18 (1791-1801)
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When a Dutch sailor shipwrecked on Jeju in 1627, he thought he’d been captured by cannibals. Instead, he became Korea’s first W...
Haunted Barracks: Korea’s Military Ghost Stories
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The Korean military is haunted — literally and culturally. Soldiers whisper about phantom footsteps, cold spots inside fences,...
Shawn Wrote a Spooky Book
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Here it is! Finally! Shawn Morrissey's much anticipated book of Korean supernatural encounters is released. We ask him your que...
Why Korean City Slogans Sound So Weird (and Why We Love Them Anyway)
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Korean cities love English slogans, but rarely get them right. From “Hi Seoul” to “Busan is Good,” we explore how Korea’s brand...
From Madness to Reform | The Fall of Joseon, part 17
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King Jeongjo inherited a kingdom broken by madness, murder, and factional greed. In this episode, we look at how the grandson o...
Kidnapped!
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Kidnapping and abduction attempts are on the rise in Korea, with more than nine cases per week. We break down the numbers, the...
Cursed Landmarks
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We tour Korea’s “cursed landmarks,” from the Blue House to Jongno Tower, the National Assembly, Cheonggyecheon, and beyond. The...
Cruel Summer 2: Crueler Summerer
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Our follow-up to Cruel Summer shows Korea’s August crimes were just as horrific. A shaman murdered her niece in a ritual. Coupl...
Cruel Summer
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Summer in Korea sucks. This was a record-breaking year for temps. Floods were awful again. Crime was pretty damn bad, too. Big...
K-Pop Demon Hunters: Folklore & Satire
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K-Pop Demon Hunters looks flashy on the surface, but it hides a lot of Korean folklore inside the glitter. We talk about mudang...
The Wailing Woman and the Red-Hatted Ghosts of Korea | Spooky Chills Summer
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We close out Spooky Summer with a set of chilling Korean ghost stories and urban legends. Joe shares tales of the Wailing Woman...
Ghost Stories That Grew Up With the City | Spooky Chills Summer
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A chill night-walk through Korea’s darker folklore: we bring together old graves, cursed bills, haunted portraits, and digital...
11 Haunted Haunts of Seoul | Spooky Chills Summer
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Shawn and Joe guide you through 11 of Seoul’s eeriest locations—from the pressure-draining crossroads at Sejong Intersection to...