Korean. American. Podcast

This week, Jun and Daniel celebrate Christmas and close out 2025 with their third annual "Ssamary"—a comprehensive year-end wrap-up. The episode begins with a look at their current holiday vibes, exploring why Daniel is struggling to feel festive this year and Jun's memories of his father's unique "sparrow" surveillance tactic for behavior. As they transition into the review, they break down the podcast's statistics, celebrate milestones like surviving creative burnout to find a sustainable schedule, and share their personal highs and lows of the year, including Daniel’s journey toward finding peace in Korea and Jun’s resilience through career turbulence.If you’re interested in hearing about the surprising history behind December 25th, the exorbitant price of Korean hotel Christmas cakes, or Daniel's daughter’s ambitious Christmas wish list asking for a new house and baby twins, this episode offers plenty of laughs and insights. We also dive deep into our personal resolutions for 2026, including Jun’s "9th inning" career mindset and Daniel’s candid thoughts on whether his family will stay in Korea or move back to the US next summer. Whether you want to know which episodes were our favorites or just hear us reflect on the reality of aging and job stability, tune in for this special holiday edition.As a reminder, we publish our episodes bi-weekly from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support the showWe hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/https://twitter.com/korampodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcastQuestions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected] Member of the iyagi media network (www.iyagimedia.com)

This week, Jun and Daniel catch up on a busy month of events, kicking things off with Daniel’s participation in "No Shave November" and the cultural stigma surrounding beards in Korea. The conversation moves to a visit to a US Army base for Halloween, which sparks a debate about cultural differences in fairness and connections highlighted by a specific incident involving a pizza order. Daniel also vents about his frustration with household items constantly breaking in Korea, leading to a broader discussion on consumerism, manufacturing quality, and the "fast fashion" mindset that permeates daily life.If you’re interested in hearing a deep dive into why Americans identify so strongly with their driver's licenses compared to Korea's centralized resident ID system, or the sociological flip where Americans trust their neighbors but distrust the government while Koreans generally feel the opposite, this episode is for you. We also discuss the intense fitness culture of HYROX, differing attitudes toward pregnancy and activity, the reality of job stability and layoffs in the AI era, and Daniel’s realization that after four years, he finally feels completely settled and comfortable living in Korea.As a reminder, we publish our episodes bi-weekly from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support the showWe hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/https://twitter.com/korampodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcastQuestions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected] Member of the iyagi media network (www.iyagimedia.com)

This week Jun and Daniel discuss recent news and cultural trends from November 2025. The episode covers APEC 2025 hosted in Gyeongju where Korea gifted Trump a Shilla gold crown, contrasting Korean labor debates between the London Bagel Museum overwork death and dawn delivery service bans, the viral Gwangjang Market pricing scandal, and the election of Zoran Momdani as New York City's first Muslim and youngest mayor in over a century. The hosts also discuss Gen Alpha slang, tackle Suneung English questions, and respond to listener comments.If you're interested in any of these topics, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! This episode offers cross-cultural analysis on labor rights, cultural diplomacy, and social responsibility.As a reminder, we publish our episodes bi-weekly from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support the showWe hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/https://twitter.com/korampodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcastQuestions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected] Member of the iyagi media network (www.iyagimedia.com)

This week Jun and Daniel dive deep into a media review of "The Wailing" (곡성), the critically acclaimed 2016 Korean horror film directed by Na Hong-jin. They begin by unpacking the clever wordplay behind the Korean title—"Gokseong" doubles as both the name of the real Korean city where the film is set and the Chinese character meaning "wailing." The hosts explore the film's complex narrative structure, debating whether the mysterious Japanese man is truly a demon or just an unfortunate scapegoat, analyzing the deacon character's true motivations, and discussing the tragic ending where the protagonist's choices lead to devastating consequences. They examine the film's commentary on faith, superstition, and mob mentality, while also touching on the masterful cinematography, the haunting shaman ritual scene, and the unforgettable performances.If you're interested in understanding why this film is considered one of Korea's most important horror achievements, how Korean shamanism and religious syncretism create the story's ambiguity, why the film's open-ended interpretation makes it endlessly rewatchable, or Daniel's instant regret watching a horror film late at night in the dark, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! This episode also features discussion about recognizing famous Korean actors (including Hwang Jung-min, one of Korea's top movie stars), comparisons to The Blair Witch Project, and reflections on how the film uses the real city of Gokseong as its setting.As a reminder, we publish our episodes bi-weekly from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support the showWe hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/https://twitter.com/korampodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcastQuestions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected] Member of the iyagi media network (www.iyagimedia.com)

This week Jun and Daniel return from their extended Chuseok holiday break to discuss a range of topics starting with daily life observations about technology, from wireless floor fans to Tesla's touchscreen interfaces to the state of autonomous vehicles in both the US and Korea. They then share their Chuseok vacation experiences, with Jun describing his MT-style trip to Gapyeong and Daniel reflecting on his trip to Seodaemun prison and museum. The conversation then shifts to significant news including the No Kings protests—massive nationwide demonstrations against Donald Trump's second presidential term in 2025—the controversial ban on Chinese chess at Tapgol Park in Seoul, the tragic incident involving Koreans in Cambodia, and the W Magazine Breast Cancer Awareness campaign controversy. The episode concludes with listener questions about Korean apartment uniformity and a spirited debate about nunchi, sparked by a question from a previous guest episode.If you're interested in understanding how Korean efficiency and collectivism shape everything from apartment design to consumer products, learning about the No Kings movement and its significance in American politics, exploring the concept of nunchi and indirect communication in Korean culture, or hearing about nonprofit youth programs bridging Korean and American communities, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more!As a reminder, we record one episode a week in-person from Seoul, South Korea. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!:Sponsored ContentThis episode is sponsored by City Youth Martial Arts, a nonprofit taekwondo program serving Milwaukee's diverse urban neighborhoods. Find out more at https://cityyouthmartialarts.orgSupport the showWe hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!Support us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/user?u=99211862Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/koreanamericanpodcast/https://twitter.com/korampodcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@koreanamericanpodcastQuestions/Comments/Feedback? Email us at: [email protected] Member of the iyagi media network (www.iyagimedia.com)