Policy, Pop & Dumplings

Hot water over iced lates. Slippers indoors. Traditional medicine over Western pharmaceuticals. Why is everyone suddenly romanticizing Chinese lifestyle choices—and why does it feel political? This week, Gunjan and Paroma unpack Chinamaxxing through the lens of shifting cultural power. From Fareed Zakaria and Jon Stewart on Western liberalism’s fraying moral authority to bell hooks on “eating the...

In this episode, we ramble on about what actually defined 2025 for us and our feeds - birth-rate panic, short feeds, intense fandoms, and taste flexing as the new status symbol. We also talk about how K-systems are quietly influencing everything from music to streaming to soft power. If 2025 felt chaotic, this is the breakdown for everything that happened and everything we are gearing up for. Cred...

Across East Asia, school, barracks, and work often run on rank, rivalry, and endurance. In this episode we n trace how South Korea’s mandatory military service, Japan’s senpai-kohai culture, and China’s exam pressure shape what “strength” and “justice” look like for young people. We discuss why bullying and revenge narratives resonate, and how pop culture can turn private harm into public debate a...

This episode explores how Korean dramas are turning classrooms into mirrors of society. Through stories of bullying, competition, and survival, we ask: can fiction spark real conversations about what students face behind closed doors? And when does storytelling stop reflecting reality and start shaping it? Credits: The Glory, Available on Netflix Weak Hero, Available on Netflix All Of Us Are Dead,...

South Korea’s gaming culture shaped a generation and then found itself at the center of a national debate. From PC bangs that became social lifelines to curfews that sparked controversy, this episode looks at how a country known for its esports glory began rethinking its own creation. And what if gaming addiction isn’t really about games at all but everything around them? Credits: Addiction by Des...

One of us is fresh off a Blackpink concert high and obsessing over their new banger "JUMP", and the other is still in a BTS and Stray Kids induced haze. But here's the thing about K-pop that'll blow your mind: 150 million fans worldwide aren't just streaming and screaming, they are organizing climate campaigns that are making corporations sweat. We are diving into how fandoms...

Beneath the turquoise salt waters of Jeju, a sisterhood of women has held its breath for centuries. The Haenyeo dive without tanks, armed with only their lungs, a knife, and the quiet rhythm of the sea. They have built lives from the ocean’s gifts, defied traditional gender roles, and passed their skills from mother to daughter. Now, warming seas and dwindling harvests threaten not just their live...

Two policy nerds decode the Hallyu Wave, the rise of Asian dramas, and why subtitles are changing the world. They explore how pop culture, soft power, and identity collide in a global age. From pandemic binge-watching to the boom of OTT platforms, they unpack how art, identity, and influence intersect—and what it means to belong everywhere and nowhere at once.