The God of Pyongyang: How Christianity Built North Korea
Release Date: 03/22/2026
The God of Pyongyang: How Christianity Built North Korea
Korea Deconstructed
How was North Korea, a state that famously mandates atheism, built on a foundation of Christian fervor? In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Cheng, the Wall Street Journal’s China Bureau Chief, to discuss his new book, Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult. We trace the journey of Pyongyang from the "Jerusalem of the East" to the center of the world's most rigid cult of personality. From the collapse of the Joseon Dynasty’s caste system and the arrival of missionaries like Samuel Moffett to Kim Il Sung’s own Christian upbringing, we...
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The SEAbling War: Why Koreans and Southeast Asians are Fighting Online
Korea Deconstructed
What happens when you take the wrong camera to a Day6 K-pop concert? In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we explore the recent "SEAbling War". Discussing viral memes to deeply uncomfortable conversations about race and history, our four guests demonstrate why this is about much more than just social media comments. For them, it's also a lived experience and connected to their own identity as individuals bridging multiple cultures. The Guests 1) Gabby 2) Yelynn 3) Dabin 4) Nuri Discussion Outline 0:00 Introduction 3:25 What Happened at the Day6 Concert? 7:30 The SEAblings Internet War...
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100 Years of Queer Korean Fiction | Dr. Samuel Perry
Korea Deconstructed
What does it mean to be queer in a society often defined by its rigid traditions, colonial scars, and rapid neoliberal transformation? In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we sit down with Dr. Samuel Perry from Brown University to challenge the common misconception that LGBT issues are a "new" or "Western" import to the Korean peninsula. Through his new anthology, A Century of Queer Korean Fiction, Dr. Perry reveals a long-standing tradition of diverse sexualities and gender expressions that have navigated censorship, war, and dictatorship for over a hundred years. We explore the coding of...
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Korea Deconstructed
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Korea Deconstructed
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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,...
info_outlineHow was North Korea, a state that famously mandates atheism, built on a foundation of Christian fervor? In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Cheng, the Wall Street Journal’s China Bureau Chief, to discuss his new book, Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult.
We trace the journey of Pyongyang from the "Jerusalem of the East" to the center of the world's most rigid cult of personality. From the collapse of the Joseon Dynasty’s caste system and the arrival of missionaries like Samuel Moffett to Kim Il Sung’s own Christian upbringing, we explore how the linguistic and structural tools of the church were co-opted to create a "God on Earth." We cover the Pyongyang Revival and the "Mystical" texts of early Korean Christianity. How the oppression of the Joseon era made the peninsula fertile ground for a new faith. The "Exodus South" and the influential figures like Cho Man-sik. Why Kim Il Sung remains the most pivotal—and misunderstood—figure in modern Korean history.
The Book: https://koreanmessiah.com/
Find Jonathan onlie
Twitter: @jchengwsj
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cheng-546b703/
Discussion Outline
0:00 Introduction
5:15 The Joseon Dynasty
11:25 The Erasure of Kija
14:45 Christianity's Arrival in Korea
19:25 Samuel Moffett and the Jerusalem of the East
30:00 The Figures of Pyongyang's Church
37:15 Jeonggamnok (정감록, 鄭鑑錄)
43:50 Kim Il Sung's Christian Upbringing
50:00 Cho Man Sik (조만식) - the Gandhi of Korea
56:00 The Legend of Kim Il Sung
59:40 The Christian Exodus South
1:04:25 Cults in Modern Korea
1:16:25 Recommendations
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David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.
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