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PODCAST

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Korean dark history, ghost tales, folklore, serial killers, true crime, and more. You are about to discover why Korea has the spookiest stories and darkest history.Folklorist Shawn and history buff Joe delve into Korea"s gruesome stories of massacres, betrayals, and blood. It"s like "Game of Thrones" in Asia. We share our passion for Korea and its struggles throughout time. If you enjoy shows like "Kingdom," this is the podcast for you. Even if you know nothing about Korea, its history will become

history places & travel

All Episodes

46:39

11 Haunted Haunts of Seoul | Spooky Chills Summer

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/08/13

Send us a text Shawn 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. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel B...

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79:54

Unsettling Urban Legends | Spooky Chills Summer

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/08/06

Send us a text Turn 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 wi...

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83:00

Spooky Chills Summer: Our Creepiest Stories

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/07/30

Send us a text Ready 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 em...

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60:53

Spooky Chills Summer: Ghost Stories on Jayuro Highway

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/07/23

Send us a text Shawn 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. https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoStev...

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51:37

Spooky Summer Ghost Stories 2025

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/07/16

Send us a text We 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 Pr...

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55:52

Prince Sado’s Madness and Murder | The Fall of...

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/07/09

Send us a text Prince 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. https://patreo...

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61:06

POSCO Unforged: Corruption, Accidents, & Cover-Ups

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/07/02

Send us a text POSCO 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 spec...

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45:48

North Korea 75 Years Later with Jacco Zwetsloot (NK...

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/06/25

Send us a text 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 m...

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97:24

Unwelcome Guests: The 1871 US Incident in Korea

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/06/18

Send us a text Featuring Thomas Duvernay, PhD | Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea When 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 (병인양요), the United States’ ill-fated “punitive expedition” against Joseon Korea. From the diplomatic missteps that p...

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47:29

Yeongjo’s Quest for Balance: Ending Factional Fury |...

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/06/11

Send us a text After 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 fac...

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55:08

Korea and Canada Share Folklore?

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/06/04

Send us a text You 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 https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Top Tier PatronsAngel EarlJoel BonominiDevon HiphnerGabi PalominoS...

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51:59

Unexplained Deaths of Expats in Korea

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/05/28

Send us a text 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 tr...

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28:18

When Love Meets Politics | Fall of Joseon, part 14

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/05/21

Send us a text King 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...

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54:06

Tragic Ghosts

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/05/14

Send us a text What 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 Ge...

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73:44

Ask Us. We Dare You!

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/05/07

Send us a text What 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.com Support the show Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com Pitch your idea here. https:/...

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60:52

Ghost Book Sneak Peek

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/04/30

Send us a text Shawn 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.com Support the show Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/ Credits ...

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62:33

Gwangjang Market: Secrets, Snacks, and the Shady Side...

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/04/23

Send us a text Gwangjang 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 y...

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66:49

Boondoggles: Korean Grand Prix

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/04/16

Send us a text South 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...

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67:20

Strange Things Found on Naver Maps

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/04/09

Send us a text In 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 ...

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41:36

Joseon Korea vs. Qing China: A Kingdom Caught Between...

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast ·

2025/04/02

Send us a text In this episode of The Fall of Joseon, we dive into the political turmoil and military invasions that rocked Joseon Korea in the 17th century. Join us as we explore the first Qing invasion of 1627, the devastating effects of political factionalism, and the lasting consequences for Joseon’s political landscape. From King Injo’s chaotic rise to power and the internal conflicts of the West Faction to the tragic death of Crown Prince Sohyeon, we uncover the bitter struggles that sh...

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301 results

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