The Weekly Korean Foreigner - A Podcast by John Lee

"Escape from Mogadishu" is a movie that is based on real-life events that took place in 1991. In 1991, South Korea and North Korea were lobbying UN General Assembly member states to vote for their respective bids to be accepted as UN member states. One of those countries that the two Korean governments lobbied was Somalia in the same year when Somalia was about to be engulfed in a vicious sectarian civil war. As conflict breaks out, the two Korean groups work together to escape from Mogadishu.Show Notes:● Stream "Escape from Mogadishu" on Netflix● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

I would not be exaggerating at all when I say that "Pachinko" is the best television show that I have seen for about as long as I can remember. The show is dense and has a lot to unpack, but I cannot talk about everything as that would take too much time. But believe me when I say that you should watch the show if you haven't yet.Show Notes:● Stream "Pachinko" on Apple TV+● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

"Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" is a South Korean TV series that is originally produced by tvN that is streaming on Netflix. The show is set in 1998 South Korea, and it's about a high school girl who does everything that she can to pursue her dream - fencing. The show has 16 episodes, but so far, only two episodes have aired. So, for today's episode, I want to talk more about the show's setting, which the show doesn't explain for its international viewers. Show Notes:● Stream "Twenty-Five, Twenty-One" on Netflix● Link to my Twitter thread about the show● YouTube link to Jaurim's "25, 21"● Link to my translation of Jaurim's "25, 21"● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

"All of Us are Dead" is the latest South Korean zombie show to hit Netflix that has taken the world by storm. As a long-time zombie fan, I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this show. But as I binged it the day after it dropped, I realized that it was not what I expected. I had to take some time off to think about the show, the times, and even my own age to understand what I had watched. Show Notes:● Stream "All of Us are Dead" on Netflix● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

"The Silent Sea" had an amazing trailer that promised a tense sci-fi horror. It was supposed to be scary and dark. Instead, it was a mediocre TV show whose short plot was dragged for eight unnecessarily long episodes. This is my review of "The Silent Sea."Show Notes:● Stream "The Silent Sea" on Netflix● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

"Don't Look Up" boasts a talented director and a cast filled to the brim with some of the best actors that Hollywood has ever produced. They still managed to produce a terrible movie. In today's episode, I explain why this movie didn't do it for me, and I also compare it to other movies like "Casablanca," "Thank You for Smoking," and the "Atlas Shrugged" movie trilogy.Show Notes:● Stream "Don't Look Up" on Netflix (but only if you hate yourself)● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is one of the highest-grossing movies of 2021. It's made so much money that Kevin Feige even announced that it will get a sequel and that it will also get some kind of Disney Plus spin-off. I watched the movie on opening day at the theater and then again one more time on Disney Plus. I really wanted to like this movie. But I don't. I explain why in today's episode.Show Notes:● Stream "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" on Disney Plus● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

A new South Korean TV show is taking over Netlfix - "Hellbound." This is a dark, dense, and violent TV show that delves into some uncomfortable topics such as cultism, religious extremism, violence, and vigilantism. Show Notes:● Stream "Squid Game" on Netflix● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

Ever since "Squid Game" has taken the world by storm, there has been no shortage of hot takes and op-eds about the show and Korean culture. In today's episode, I talk about why it is unhelpful to gatekeep one's culture and insist that one has to truly understand Korean culture to be able to understand "Squid Game," while also explaining why, though it is unhelpful, such reactions are understandable.Show Notes:● Stream "Squid Game" on Netflix● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

In today's episode, we continue and conclude our discussion of the first season of "Yumi's Cells." In order to get to the heart of the matter, I provide a spoiler-heavy summarization of the show before I talk about the show's central message — loving ourselves, the importance of self-esteem, and what it takes to get there if we don't particularly love ourselves.Time-stamps:● Introduction: 0:00 ~ 1:14● Spoiler-heavy summarization of Episodes 4 to 14: 1:15 ~ 11:44● The central message of "Yumi's Cells:" 11:45 ~ 19:02● Outro: 19:02~EndShow Notes:● Stream the "Yumi's Cells" on Viki, KissAsian, Dramacool, and TVING● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

Today, we continue our discussion about "Yumi's Cells." In episodes 2 and 3, the show does a fantastic job of showing the audience what people often do to protect themselves, which can, in the future, come around to hurt us.Show Notes:● Stream the "Yumi's Cells" on Viki, KissAsian, Dramacool, and TVING● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

"Yumi's Cells" is an amazing South Korean TV show. It's a part live-action, part animation rom-com, and it's just the sweetest show. But there are also some hidden meanings behind the show. Listen to me break down the show's pilot episode to explain why this show is so great. Show Notes:● Stream the "Yumi's Cells" on Viki, KissAsian, Dramacool, and TVING ● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter● Facebook● YouTubeSupport the show

In the past two weeks, "Squid Game" has taken the world by storm, and it is on track to become Netflix's most-watched TV show. All around the world, this show is receiving glowing praise. However, it's not perfect, and though I'm in the minority, I felt that the show left a bit to be desired. So, join me in today's episode where I go over what the show did right, what the show did wrong, and why I find some Western critics annoying.Show Notes:● Stream the show on Netflix● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter: https://twitter.com/koreanforeigner● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQn38awXiHFzBXzVII47M3gSupport the show

Starting August 27, 2021, a new South Korean TV show started streaming on Netflix (yes, it has English subtitles!), and it's called "D.P." A show about a couple of South Korean MPs (military police) whose focus is retrieving soldiers who have deserted their posts, the show touches on topics that have gotten a lot of South Koreans buzzing. In today's episode, I talk about the show's take on the military and how it delves into topics like bullying, which permeates not just the military but the entire South Korean society.Show Notes:● Stream the show on Netflix● "Korean culture may offer clues in Asiana crash" — 2013 article on CNBC● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter: https://twitter.com/koreanforeigner● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQn38awXiHFzBXzVII47M3gSupport the show

In the early hours of August 16, 2021 (KST), shortly after the fall of Kabul, Marc Thiessen, a columnist for the Washington Post and a fellow at the American Enterprise Insitute, wrote a tweet saying, "If South Korea were under this kind of sustained assault, they would collapse just as quickly without US support. There’s virtually no American ally who could defend themselves without us."I wrote a thread in response explaining why he was wrong. I cited an earlier essay that I wrote that was published in the Pacific Forum and the Asia Times. Admittedly, my response wasn't very polite. Today's episode is meant to be a more polite response in the form of a personal story that tells of one particular episode that occurred in 2011 while I was serving in the South Korean Army to explain why South Korea is not a weak country that cannot stand without American aid.Show Notes:● "South Korea’s Military Inferiority Complex Must End" at Pacific Forum● "South Korea’s misplaced military inferiority complex" at Asia Times● Tweet by Marc Thiessen● My tweet in response● Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads (YouTube Audio Library License)Follow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter: https://twitter.com/koreanforeigner● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQn38awXiHFzBXzVII47M3gSupport the show

Episode 3 — August 16th, 2021In today’s episode, I highlight a debate between two conservative South Korean politicians had about Milton Friedman - the American economist who was an icon of neo-liberalism in the 1980s - and whether or not food safety laws ought to be reformed so that the poor can be allowed to buy food whose expiration date has passed.Show Notes:● Original news article (in Korean): https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/assembly/1006168.htmlAudio Clips used:1) Milton Friedman's interview on the Phil Donahue Show, 1979 ● Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpq3Cv5Wen82) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Paramount Pictures, 1982● Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1mE_lyVKRQ3) Music: Nine Lives by Unicorn Heads, YouTube Audio Library License● Source: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCfj0poLfpdc2mc9-Me165eg/musicFollow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter: https://twitter.com/koreanforeigner● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQn38awXiHFzBXzVII47M3gSupport the show

Episode 2 — August 9th, 2021In today’s episode, I highlight:1) South Korea’s COVID-19 vaccination program keeps chugging along as people between 18 to 49 can finally start to reserve to get vaccinated starting this week. ● Reserve a spot to get vaccinated at: http://ncvr.kdca.go.kr● Instructions on how to apply to get vaccinated in Korean, English, Chinese, and NINE other foreign languages: http://global.seoul.go.kr/user.do?menu_id=0104000000&site_code=0101&article_seq=26676&mode=view● Further instructions: https://www.facebook.com/itaewonglobalvillage/posts/29546105081380302) 65,000 vaccine doses have gone to waste in Alabama due to vaccine hesitation even though millions remain unvaccinated.● Source 1: https://www.newsweek.com/more-65k-covid-vaccines-wasted-alabama-delta-variant-surges-1617212● Source 2:https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/08/03/1023822839/biden-is-sending-110-million-vaccines-to-nations-in-need-thats-just-a-first-stepFollow me on other social media sites at:● Twitter: https://twitter.com/koreanforeigner● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQn38awXiHFzBXzVII47M3gSupport the show

In this first episode of my podcast, I introduce myself to my new listeners. I tell you who I am, where I'm from, and what I do. So if you don't know who I am, or you know me but you don't really know me, give this episode a listen. If nothing else, I think you'll at least agree that I have a voice made for radio/podcasts! Or at least that's what people have told me.● Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/koreanforeigner● Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQn38awXiHFzBXzVII47M3gSupport the show