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E-Sports Korea: Is There Life Beyond Faker?

Release Date: 01/12/2025

Kim Mi-young: Itaewon and the Search for Identity

Korea Deconstructed

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...

Bong Joon Ho: Filmmaker and Philosopher

Korea Deconstructed

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 : Bong Joon Ho book: Celebricities: 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...

Korean Indie Music, Capitalism, and Cultural Identity

Korea Deconstructed

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 Discussion Outline 0:00...

The Hidden Realities of Studying in Korea

Korea Deconstructed

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 ( 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 in 1980s: Heritage, Hallyu, and the Making of Modern Identity | Dr. Roald Maliangkay

Korea Deconstructed

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,...

Four Korean Women Talk Feminism, Culture, and Professional Careers

Korea Deconstructed

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,...

Breastfeeding vs Capitalism: Motherhood and Culture in Korea

Korea Deconstructed

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...

Korean Architecture and the Weight of Han

Korea Deconstructed

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: Instagram: The Fortune Teller Story: 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...

The Spirit of Korea: Pungryu Explained by Jun Bum Sun

Korea Deconstructed

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: The Yangbans: Discussion Outline 0:00 History as Therapy 9:33 The Taeguk 17:35 Where Do We Come From? 26:30 The...

Korean Beauty, Fashion, and Lookism

Korea Deconstructed

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 Jeoung Nuri AJohn / 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...

More Episodes

Eunjae Cho is currently studying Chinese Language and Literature at Seoul Women’s University. She has a deep interest in languages and Asian culture, which led her to work as a journalist in the e-sports industry. She has primarily written articles about League of Legends and Japanese subculture. A distinctive feature of her articles is that they include voices and interviews from fans and professionals across various countries.

Her recent work: https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.naver?volumeNo=42695436&memberNo=6799533

Her social media: https://www.instagram.com/noir_p90?igsh=czdvc3NiY3ltd2Ru&utm_source=qr

Thanks to Patreon members: Hee Ji Jacobs, Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell

Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873

Discussion Outline

0:00 Introduction

4:35 League of Legends

10:35 Who Plays E-Sports?

15:45 Why are Koreans so good at E-Sports?

18:55 National E-Sports Culture

21:50 PC Bang Culture

25:00 DDOS Attacks