Korea Underground

In this episode Steve and Dan explore Mukbangs, the Korean phenomenon of eating ridiculous amounts of food while people watch and pay you for it. When did they start and why are they so popular? Continue reading

What’s it like having a baby in South Korea? We welcome Teresa back and talk about the whole birth experience. We discuss a little about some traditions and beliefs around childbirth, pre-natal care and then after the baby is born. How are the services, how are the hospitals, how much ... Continue reading

Steve and Dan shake the dust off the microphones and try to get this show moving again. In this episode they talk about why they’ve been off the air for so long and then they do a deep dive into Korean funerals. Also, new music by Kisnue! Continue reading

We welcome a new host and then dig deep into the topic of the disputed island of Dokdo and Korea’s seeming obsession with hating on Japan. New music in this episode was provided by the band Walking After U and their song Blind. Comments, tips, suggestions, or questions about the ... Continue reading

In this episode Steve and Dan discuss Korea’s affair with mail-order brides from SE Asia and the societal struggles Korea is having as a result. Dan also tickles our ear pussies with another installment of the Cunning Linguist and we’ve got great new music by Acid Party and their song ... Continue reading

In this episode Steve and Teresa discuss tips and ideas for dating a Korean. If you’re in need of ideas or things to do to surprise your Korean partner, we’ve got some things in here that might help. There’s also new music from Southway, an indie band out of Seoul, ... Continue reading

In this episode Teresa tells us all about the culture of gift giving in Korea and some of the problems foreigners run into when they find themselves in those situations. We’ve also got new music from singer Aseul and her song Dazed, Aseul was on our show previously in episode ... Continue reading

In this episode Steve and Teresa kick back, go off script and discus the show, life, and anything else that comes up. It’s a free-for-all in this second anniversary show. Thanks to all of you who’ve kept listening to the show and welcome to all of our new listeners! We ... Continue reading

Going off a story regarding an Australian woman who was raped while on holiday in Korea, Steve and Teresa discuss rape and sexual assault in Korea. They go over how Korea defines rape, how it’s sometimes handled by the authorities (hint: not very well!), and what you should do if ... Continue reading

Upon the suggestion of a listener, Steve and Teresa delve deep into the topic of Korea’s National Health Insurance system. Is it any good? How does it compare to other Western countries? What are the strengths and weaknesses? And in a first for our show, we’ve got a hip-hop song ... Continue reading

Did you ever see a Korean porn video and wonder why it was so bad? Well in this episode Steve and Teresa sit down and talk about the sorry state of porn vids in Korea and how they came to be. There’s also some trippy new music from the band ... Continue reading

In our first new episode of 2016 Steve and Dan discuss Korean corporate culture and how things work on the inside and why Korea has the worst productivity in the OECD. And since we were lucky enough to get Dan on the show, we’ve got some cunning linguistics for you. ... Continue reading

In this vacation episode we hear Steve and Dan’s very first recording effort. Previously thought long deleted, this was the test recording Dan and I did to see how we sounded together. It’s raw, we’re sloppy, the sound quality is sub-par and I was still figuring out editing in Garageband ... Continue reading

In the final episode of the year Teresa and Steve talk about their highs and lows of 2015, some big news items, and our Christmas traditions. We’ll see you all back in 2016! Have a great holiday and thanks everyone for a great year!   Continue reading

Steve and Teresa sit down and discuss whether or not Korea has a problem with cheating and plagiarism. We also talk a little bit about the big protest that happened last weekend in Seoul and what got people so pissed. We’ve got some great new music from Korean artist Shirosky ... Continue reading

In this year’s Halloween episode Teresa and Steve talk about death. We discuss our thoughts on it and then discuss Korean burial traditions. We look at how it was done in the past and how it’s changing in modern times as well as what happens to foreigners that might die ... Continue reading

Steve and Teresa sit down and discuss the state of women and gender roles in Korea. We cover how Korea came to be such a strong patriarchal society and also how things are finally changing for the better. Teresa brings us another installment of Hallyu Doin! with some shocking news ... Continue reading

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Steve and Teresa discuss the Korean concepts of Jeong (정), Han (한), and Nunchi (눈치), their meanings in Korean culture and whether or not they can really be defined in English. Teresa brings us another installment of Hallyu Doin’ and we’ve got new music from Tierpark. Be sure to check ... Continue reading

In part two of this episode Steve, Teresa, and Eugene finish up our long talk about the K-Pop industry and also get to know more about Eugene and his podcast, Cafe Seoul. Be sure to visit their website at https://cafeseoulpodcast.wordpress.com/ Music in this episode was provided by Table People and ... Continue reading