The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Send us Fan MailFlashing and public indecency have been a problem in Korea for decades, but recent cases suggest the issue may be getting worse.In this Fun Sized episode, we look at the rise in flashing incidents across South Korea, including cases involving schools, parks, buses, apartment complexes, and public transportation. We also explore the psychology behind exhibitionism, the surprisingly light punishments often given to offenders, and why Korea refers to flashers as “Burberry Men.”Yes. Really. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailIsang Yun was one of Korea’s most important composers, blending traditional Korean sounds with modern European music.But in 1967, he was kidnapped off the streets of West Berlin by South Korean agents, tortured, and sentenced to death.In this episode, we explore Yun’s life, his music, and the political forces that turned a composer into a target. From his early years under Japanese rule to his exile in Germany, this is the story of an artist caught between ideology, identity, and power. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWe’re back with another Fun Size episode.This time, we’re looking at something that sounds simple on paper: sick leave. In Korea, it’s legally guaranteed. In reality, it’s often difficult, discouraged, or just not used at all.From teachers paying out of pocket for substitutes to cultural pressure to keep working no matter what, the system doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to.We also talk about a recent case that brought attention to the issue and why change may finally be coming. Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailCherry blossoms might seem like the most harmless part of spring in Korea. But behind the crowds, festivals, and photo spots, there’s a deeper story that most people don’t notice.In this episode, we explore the quiet controversy surrounding cherry blossoms in Korea, from their role during Japanese colonial rule to the modern debates about whether they should even be celebrated at all.We also talk about the now-familiar “Cherry Blossom Ajosshi,” a one-man protester who appears every spring to remind people of that history.From nationalist myths to modern science, this is a story about how something as simple as a flower can carry layers of meaning. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWe’re trying something new.This is our first Fun Size episode—a shorter format where we tackle current topics that spark debate in Korea.This time, we’re looking at the controversy surrounding the sign at Gwanghwamun. Should it be written in Hangul or Hanja? It sounds like a simple design choice, but it opens up deeper questions about history, identity, and how Korea presents itself today.We break down the history of Korean writing systems, why Chinese characters were used for centuries, and why Hangul matters so much today. We also look at why this debate keeps coming back—and whether the current push for change is really about culture, or something else.Join us as we unpack a small change with surprisingly big implications. Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailThis episode takes a lighter turn with a “This or That” game that somehow turns into strong opinions about Korean food, hiking, cities, and history.We compare Bukhan-san and Inwang-san, break down bibimbap preferences, and get into the difference between taxi buffets and mountain restaurants. Along the way, we talk about cooking at home versus eating out, the cultural weight of the Goryeo period, and why Busan quietly wins a lot of these debates.There are also a few detours into movies, comedians, and the kinds of places in Korea that don’t show up in guidebooks.A relaxed episode, but with plenty of opinions. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailPet ownership in Korea is growing rapidly, but what happens when a beloved animal dies?In this episode, Joe and Shawn explore the surprising and often emotional world of pet funerals in Korea. From strict burial laws that classify animal remains as “waste” to private cremation services that hold full memorial ceremonies, the reality of pet death reveals an unusual intersection of law, culture, and changing attitudes toward animals.Shawn shares personal experiences with cremating two of his pets and explains why pets almost never appear in Korean cemeteries, despite their growing role as family members. The episode also explores pet ownership trends, historical attitudes toward cats, and the ongoing debate about whether pets should be allowed to rest beside their humans.As Korea’s pet culture continues to expand, pressure is building to rethink how the country treats animals in death as well as life. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailA minor concert rule violation at a Day6 show in Kuala Lumpur ignites a much larger confrontation between Southeast Asian K-pop fans, known online as SEAblings, and Korean netizens, or K-netz.What began as frustration over DSLR camera use quickly escalated into accusations of racism, ingratitude, and cultural superiority. In this episode, Joe and Shawn explore what this clash reveals about Korean hierarchy, Confucian social order, ethnic “pure blood” nationalism, development pride, and the uneasy place of Southeast Asia within Korea’s mental map of the world.From migrant labor and marriage migration to multicultural children and the politics of gratitude, this episode examines how fandom became a mirror reflecting deeper regional tensions. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWinter is cemetery season in Korea.With the grass dead, snakes gone, and sightlines open, this is when Korea’s hillside cemeteries quietly reveal their stories. In this episode, Joe and Shawn talk about what they see every year while wandering through Korean burial grounds: traditional mounds and stone guardians, Christian symbols mixed with Confucian motifs, rare Western-style graves, pet burials, collective graves, and the occasional unsettling sign of vandalism.This isn’t a guide to death rituals. It’s an exploration of how memory, belief, class, and modern pressure quietly reshape how Koreans remember the dead. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailSouth Korea became a super-aged society in 2025. The effects are showing up everywhere, but nowhere more visibly than on the roads.In this episode, Joe and Shawn talk about the sharp rise in accidents involving elderly drivers, including several deadly incidents in Seoul and beyond. They dig into the numbers, the government’s largely ineffective license return programs, and why simply telling seniors to stop driving ignores deeper issues like poverty, work necessity, and isolation.This is not a blame episode. It’s about how Korea went from automatic respect for elders to open ageism, and how fear-driven policy risks making the problem worse instead of safer. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailOur 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, class, gender, and who gets to stay visible in a global city. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailThere is no Waffle House in Korea.For decades, the pojangmacha was the last line of defense against going home hungry, broke, or blackout drunk. It was cheap, social, messy, and human. And then it slowly disappeared.In Part 1 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, we trace the origins of the pojangmacha from Japanese yatai and Joseon-era taverns to its explosion after the Korean War. We talk about why these tents mattered, who ran them, what people ate there, and why they became one of the most important informal social spaces in modern Korean history.This is not just a story about street food dying. It is a story about how Seoul systematically removed the spaces that ordinary people built for themselves. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailChristmas 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 execution of Park Heung-suk, remembered as “Mudeungsan Tarzan,” hanged on Christmas Eve in 1980 after a violent confrontation born from forced eviction and extreme poverty. Finally, we revisit the Daejeon bank robbery and murder of 2001, a Christmas-season killing that remained unsolved for over twenty years.These stories expose how Christmas, rather than symbolizing mercy, was repeatedly used as a moment of finality — when the state acted, and history tried to move on. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailChristmas 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 cold.From there, we move to modern tragedies. A massive Christmas Eve pile-up on the Cheonan–Nonsan Expressway that turned fog and black ice into chaos. A chilling Christmas Day murder rooted in online obsession and jealousy. And a violent armed robbery that shattered the illusion of holiday safety.These are stories where celebration collided with fear, and survival mattered more than tradition. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailShawn 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 companies keep failing upward and how a single leak at Coupang nearly shut down parts of the small business economy. Plus, a side tour through xenophobic blame games, delivery driver exploitation and the weird reality that the country with the fastest internet once clung to ActiveX like a family heirloom. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailShawn 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 busker and a heron named Bob, and you get a solid snapshot of what it means to guide people through this city. It is messy, funny, awkward, exhausting and sometimes unexpectedly sweet. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailThis 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.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailKorea’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 world of coups, purges, favoritism, region based politics and the strange afterlife of Hanahoe’s legacy in Korean society. If you want to understand why Korean democracy took so long to take root, this is the rot at the center. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailSpecial Guest: Ron ChangKorean 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 mound is opened. Ron walks us through the whole thing: the paperwork, the tools, the shock of what you find underground, and the strange mix of duty, sadness, sweat and family logistics that define Korean memorial life.If you have ever wondered how Korea handles the dead, this is your backstage pass. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWhen 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.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailThe 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?Media recommendationsR-PointDog SoldiersDead of Night (‘74)The Living & the Dead (‘07)The Others (kinda) Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailHere 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.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailKorean 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.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailKing 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. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailKidnapping 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.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan Mail 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?  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan Mail 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.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailSummer 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. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailK-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. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWe 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.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailA 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 nightmares alive. Quiet your lights and listen close; these stories don’t stay polite at the edges of the city. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailShawn 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. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailTurn off the lights. Slip on your headphones. Tonight’s Spooky Summer episode takes you to the edge of your seat with five skin-crawling tales of the unexplained:A lone soldier buried a war widow’s baby by moonlight—then dared to steal her ransom. What he unearthed under the old tree was far more terrifying than combat.Three boys discover a mirror that doesn’t reflect—and a presence that still watches them.A welding student glances at the arc and loses more than his sight.A widower mourns three wives gone in their sleep—and the reason he won’t let himself be happy.A newlywed’s dream warns her not to answer the door…yet she can’t resist.Prepare for goosebumps, sudden silences, and the kind of dread only true-story horror can deliver. Joe and Shawn are your guides through the darkness—are you brave enough to listen? Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailReady to pucker up from sheer creepiness? Ditch the cheery summer playlists and crank your earbuds—these tales will haunt your dreams. From phantom hands blocking elevator doors to severed pianist fingers humping keys in a jar, we’ve rounded up the nastiest, most head-scratching Korean urban legends your average tourist guide sniffs at. Think you can handle a blood-red diary dictating murder, dual assassins in black and white, or a grandmother’s angry spirit restless over an empty grave? Spoiler: you can’t. Tune in, but don’t say we didn’t warn you when you’re sleeping with the lights on tonight.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailShawn and Joe take you on a fog-shrouded drive down Paju’s Jayuro Highway to hunt the road’s most bone-chilling legends: the Woman in Sunglasses, blood-oozing meat packages, and the cursed box no driver wants to touch. They sift witness accounts from freaked-out truckers and local ghost hunters to figure out whether these tales are urban myth or something far more sinister. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWe kick of Spooky Chills Summer 2025 with three fresh stories and more.Brace yourselves for three spine-tinglers in Spooky Chilly Summer Part 7: • The Hong Kong Grandma’s deadly Q&A—answer wrong, and you’re never seen again • The Forest Chair that traps souls in a vision of their own funeral • The Subway Ghost who still asks, “Can you take me home?”Shawn and Joe also unveil their top haunted tourist sites: moonlit Gyeongbokgung Palace tours, Seodaemun Prison at dusk, and fog-choked cemeteries in Bukchon Hanok Village.Subscribe, ring the bell, and share your own summer scare in the comments. Support us on Patreon for bonus location guides and behind-the-scenes chills. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailPrince Sado’s life reads like a gothic horror: crowned heir, but driven mad by his father’s cold perfectionism, he slew palace servants and terrorized court ladies—then was locked in a rice chest by King Yeongjo, left to die over eight harrowing days. Drawing on Lady Hyegyeong’s 1805 memoir, we untangle Sado’s paranoia, rituals, and possible political frame-up, and reveal how his gruesome death in 1762 marked the start of the Joseon Dynasty’s final unraveling. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailPOSCO helped forge modern South Korea, but at what cost? We trace the company’s origins under Park Chung-hee’s grand steel plan, its “Right-Turn Spirit” cult of willpower, and its risky “backward” build strategy. Then we peel back the polish to expose repeated fatal accidents, toxic pollution, sexual assault cover-ups, and corrosive “POSCO mentality” boondoggles—from F1 circuits to Olympic bids. Steel may be POSCO’s core product, but abuse and arrogance remain its absolute specialty. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan Mail Seventy-five years after the Korean War began, North Korea still defines its identity by the conflict. NK News Podcast host Jacco Zwetsloot explains how Pyongyang marks the anniversary, what myths it perpetuates about victory over the U.S., and which historical flashpoints—from land reforms to the nuclear program—have shaped Kim Il Sung’s successor states. We’ll also hear Jacco’s takes on everyday life under sanctions, the regime’s strategic pivots today, and where DPRK might head next.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailFeaturing Thomas Duvernay, PhD | Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and KoreaWhen American warships steamed into Korean waters in 1871, they ignited more than just cannon fire—they opened a chapter of resistance, cultural clash, and a legacy that still echoes today. This week, historian Dr. Thomas Duvernay guides us through the Shinmiyangyo (신미양요), the United States’ ill-fated “punitive expedition” against Joseon Korea. From the diplomatic missteps that provoked conflict to the dramatic siege of Ganghwa Island’s forts, we unpack why this little-known clash matters—and how it shaped Korea’s cautious stance toward the West.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailAfter the Noron and Soron slaughter of 1721–22, Joseon lay fractured. When Prince Yeoning ascended as King Yeongjo, he resolved to break the cycle. Through calculated pardons, strategic reshuffles, Confucian exhortations against in-group politics, and reforms of the powerful Ministry of Personnel and private schools, Yeongjo pursued an uneasy peace. Yet rival camps continued scheming even as he sought “Impartiality.” This episode unpacks Yeongjo’s high-stakes gambit to tame factionalism and why, despite his best efforts, Joseon’s scholar-officials remained as divided as ever. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailYou may find it hard to believe that two countries as different as Korea and Canada have shared folklore. Why is that? And just what do they share? In this episode, we have a listen to a presentation on the topic made at the invitation of Seoul City and the Canadian Embassy. For the video version of this episode, watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0gUR7VdRRU Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan Mail Death is inevitable, but for many expats in Korea, the cause of death remains a mystery. In this episode, we delve into the unsettling number of unexplained deaths among foreign nationals living in Korea. From recent tragedies like the case of a Bangladeshi man who collapsed on the dance floor in Hongdae to the broader statistics of migrant workers and their untimely deaths, we explore the lack of answers, the lack of government response, and the issues surrounding the treatment of migrant workers in Korea. Why are so many expat deaths unexplained? And why does the government seem to ignore the issue, especially when migrant workers are so vital to the country’s economy?  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailKing Sukjong's reign, beginning at just 13 years old, was a turbulent time for Joseon, marked by power struggles, love affairs, and the downfall of factions. His relationship with concubine Lady Jang became the focal point of one of the most dramatic political upheavals in Joseon history. When Sukjong named Lady Jang's son as Crown Prince, it sparked a fierce backlash from the West Faction, leading to their eventual purge from the court. The episode also explores the rapid rise and fall of the South Faction, driven by internal royal feuds and Sukjong’s emotional entanglements. Factionalism, love, and royal power struggles took center stage as Sukjong navigated a court deeply divided, reshaping the future of Joseon in the process.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWhat makes a ghost so moody, and why are some spirits bound to haunt the living with vengeance and sorrow? We explore the most tragic and unfulfilled spirits in Korean tradition, from wonhon—the ghosts of the forsaken, to yeommae and taejagwi—the spirits of those who died in anguish or sorrow. Join us as we uncover the stories behind these forlorn spirits and the folklore that surrounds them.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailWhat is something about Korea that’s overrated? Why is shamanism viewed so negatively? How has Korean changed since COVID? We took your questions and we answer them! Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailShawn gives us a preview of his upcoming book about Korean ghost stories, encounters, and folklore.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailGwangjang Market is a street food paradise… but what’s lurking behind the bindaetteok stalls and mayak gimbap counters? In this episode, we dig into the tangled history of Korea’s oldest covered market—from its rebellious beginnings and refugee-fueled food scene to whispered stories of political gangsters, sky-high stall rents, and tourist price traps. Whether you’re here for crispy pancakes or hidden power plays, this tour of Gwangjang’s back alleys might just change the way you see Seoul’s most beloved market. Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailSouth Korea's hosting of the Formula One Grand Prix in Yeongam (2010-2013) was supposed to bring global prestige, but instead became one of motorsport’s biggest flops. We dive deep into how mismanagement, cultural misunderstanding, construction disasters, and financial chaos turned Korea’s ambitious F1 dreams into an international embarrassment. Along the way, we explore Korea's long history of hosting ambitious global events primarily for image, without genuinely understanding their meaning or planning properly.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast, we take a deep dive into the strange, unusual, and downright bizarre things we’ve found on Naver Maps. From mysterious statues and remote tombs to quirky landmarks like the Dokdo emoji, we explore the oddities that don't always make it into guidebooks. But it's not all fun and games — some of these discoveries also bring up questions about privacy, censorship, and the hidden world beneath Korea’s digital surface. Join us as we uncover the weird, the wacky, and the mysterious spots that Naver Maps doesn't always tell you about.  Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.comSupport the showJoin our Patreon to get more stuffhttps://patreon.com/darksideofseoulBook a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.comPitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/CreditsProduced by Joe McPherson and Shawn MorrisseyMusic by SoraksanTop tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoSteve MarshEva SikoraRon ChangMackenzie MooreHunter WinterCecilia Löfgren DumasJosephine RydbergDevin BuchananAshley WrightGeorge IrionFacebook Page | Instagram