The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Send us Fan Mail It’s doubly mysterious and distressing when someone is not only missing but missing overseas. Some are mysterious; others less mysterious, though ultimate fates of individuals is unknown and they are technically missing 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 Listener Mai...

Send us Fan Mail The bell in Jongno, Seoul, rings in the New Year. But what is the story of that belfry? How has South Korea celebrated the New Year over centuries? 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it o...

Send us Fan Mail Korean winters are harsh! Take tips from folklore traditions on how to survive it, along with omens to watch out for. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it on air. Music by Soraksan Top t...

Send us Fan Mail It may seem like Korea only plays two Christmas songs (Mariah & George), but Christmas has been celebrated in Seoul for at least 130 years. We cover its import, how it’s changed, why it’s a couples holiday, dark events and controversies surrounding the date, and one of the TOP TEN WORST Christmas album covers of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VerAaEfs2wI Join our Patreo...

Send us Fan Mail Don’t eat while listening to this. We cover Korea’s food scandals from the 1970s to 2021. In fact, you won’t want to eat anything after listening. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it on...

Send us Fan Mail Archaeologists botched the excavation of King Muryeong’s tomb, and some say they paid the price. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it on air. Music by Soraksan Top tier Patron Angel Earl...

Send us Fan Mail A collection of weird Korean news stories from the past few years. Hamsters, the death spa, and the national government’s ghost-warding penis rocks. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it...

Send us Fan Mail The media has passed over some of these stories of murderous youths. Does this indicate lingering bias against the types of victims in these cases? 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it o...

Send us Fan Mail Children are the most vulnerable in society. So what happens when they become the predator? In this first part, we talk about children who have murdered other children and ones who have murdered their own families. 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 Listener Mail! Se...

Send us Fan Mail In 1970, the rush to construct housing in Seoul resulted in a disaster that surprisingly many have forgotten. And it’s right behind Hongik University. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read i...

Send us Fan Mail The 63 Building and Parc.1 in Yeouido. Even though Lotte World Tower is compared to the Eye of Sauron, it’s these two buildings that are known as Cirith Ungol and Barad-dur. Each of these have stories of intrigue, betrayal, rivalries, and mishaps. Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://dark...

Send us Fan Mail Huddle in your favorite blanket. We are bringing more campfire stories. Listen--if you dare! Check out our sponsor City of Ghosts A supernatural neo-noir audio drama set in 1990s NYC about corruption, murder, and the things that haunt us. Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseo...

Send us Fan Mail We’re definitely going to get targeted by North Korea for this episode. Did you know Kim Jong-Un’s granddad had a big fat tumor on his neck? We cover sixteen (mostly true) facts about North Korea’s founder. Check out our sponsor City of Ghosts A supernatural neo-noir audio drama set in 1990s NYC about corruption, murder, and the things that haunt us. Join our Patreon to get more s...

Send us Fan Mail Korean Suicide Prevention Centre hotline: 1393 Social bullying is commonplace. It depends highly on Korea’s vast power distance, especially in the workplace from bosses to customers. Check out our sponsor City of Ghosts A supernatural neo-noir audio drama set in 1990s NYC about corruption, murder, and the things that haunt us. Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com...

Send us Fan Mail Suicide is the number one cause of death for Korean youths. Extreme bullying infects schools and contributes to this. What do the experts say about bullying in Korean schools? Is it a new problem? 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (I...

Send us Fan Mail   Guest Lucas E. Lucas tells us how he was targeted for a year by the Shincheonji cult. How coordinated are they in their recruitment tactics? 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it on air...

Send us Fan Mail Why is fall jinxed for Korean celebrities? Are there ghosts from the Sampoong Department Store collapse? What prurient urban legends pass through the lips in Korea? We spread more of them in this episode. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a me...

Send us Fan Mail What’s up with fan death? A friend of a friend told us about these stories. Shawn has been interviewing people about folk beliefs, ghostlore, experiences, and urban legends for a long time. These are all from his most recent interviews. 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...

Send us Fan Mail What was true about Yoo Young-Chul and what was urban myth? How badly did the authorities mess this up? Have things changed? We analyze what the psych and criminology experts have written about this case. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a me...

Send us Fan Mail The police didn’t catch Yoo Young-Chul. Seoul’s criminal underground took control while the authorities bumbled. Catching him wasn’t the end of it. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it o...

Send us Fan Mail After almost getting caught on CCTV, Yoo Young-Chul took a break and changed his focus and methods. Rather than going out to victims’ houses, he invited them into his home. This time, his focus was on women. This is part two of four in our series on Korea’s most notorious serial killer. A man who considers himself a criminal genius, but we’ll find he’s not as intelligent as he mak...

Send us Fan Mail Korea’s most notorious serial killer. In the first of four parts, we cover his tumultuous early life in an urbanizing Seoul and his first string of killings--targeting wealthy seniors in standalone houses near churches.  We’d put off tackling this topic because we wanted to do it right. Our research is based on Korean language articles and academic papers analyzing his warped mind...

Send us Fan Mail Guest: Jeremy Holt ( Made in Korea ) Hot comic book writer Jeremy Holt joins us to talk about the dark side of their experience as a Korean-born adoptee and how they’ve channeled that into making some of the coolest comics series you’ll ever read.  Remember you can get it on Comixology and hard copies are at The Dice Latte in Seoul. Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patre...

Send us Fan Mail Boxing scandals, torched doves, doping hero. The 1988 Seoul Games were the time to shine. But they were built on dark deeds. 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 Listener Mail! Send us a message (Instagram, Facebook, email) and we might read it on air. Music by Soraksa...

Send us Fan Mail “Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered.” - Neil Gaiman, American Gods Who are the Korean gods? They inhabit the mountains. They inhabit the trees. There is even a Korean deity that inhabits the living room. Join our Patreon to get more stuff https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseo...