The Korea File

Mar 12 2024 112 ep. 29 mins 1.7k
The Korea File Podcast artwork

Exploring Korean society, culture and politics and highlighting critical, independent voices you won’t find anywhere else since 2014.

Hosted by Andre Goulet with assistant producer Gennie Kim Pimentel. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/thekoreafile

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Contemporary Literature and Translation in South Korea

Mar 12 2024 38 mins  
On episode 110 hosts Andre Goulet and Gennie Pimentel welcome Shanna Tan, translator of the smash hit book WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP by Hwang Bo-reum.In this conversation Shanna explains why a slice of life novel about a high-flying career woman in Seoul who leaves a life of burnout and marital misery to open a book shop outside of the city has become a massive internatio

Motherhood, Revolution and Fairytales in North Korea

Dec 17 2023 33 mins  
On episode 109 Dr. Theresa Hyun, a York University professor and the author of “Writing Women in Korea: Translation and Feminism in the Colonial Period”, joins hosts Andre Goulet and Gennie Pimentel to talk about children’s literature, fairy tales and the role of mothers in the North Korean revolution. Plus: a surprising data set on the number of immigrant and multiethnic chi

Migrant Workers and Immigration in South Korea

Jul 18 2023 52 mins  
On episode 108 Seoul National University master's student An HaKyeng's joins hosts Andre Goulet in Montreal and Gennie Pimentel in Toronto for a conversation unpacking her research on the immigration experience for new arrivals, the challenges migrant workers face in South Korea, ethnonationalism, fertility rates, government policy and more. Works cited in this episode: Immigration

North Korea's Revolutionary Opera and Cold War Diplomacy

Apr 17 2023 48 mins  
On episode 107 Cambridge PhD candidate Alexandra Leonzini joins Andre Goulet and co-host Gennie Pimentel for a conversation exploring how music builds soft power and promotes national prestige, the DPRK opera's greatest hits, cultural diplomacy and the Cold War, how tourists serve as intermediaries in North Korea’s noraebang branding efforts and more.Watch 'Where Are You, General

The Evolving Role of Women in North Korea

Jan 20 2023 60 mins  
On ep106 Korea University PhD candidate Elizabeth Campbell joins host Andre Goulet and associate producer Gennie Pimentel for a conversation exploring the role of women in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's revolutionary past and present, the legacy of anti-Japanese guerrilla and 1st Kim Il-sung spouse Kim Jong-suk, the influence of 1972 cult classic film 'Flower Girl' on

Ethical Travel in Korea

Oct 27 2022 59 mins  
On episode 105 Toronto podcasters Erin Hynes and Kattie Laur, host and producer of the ethical travel show 'Alpaca My Bags', sit down with Montreal astronomer (and recent Busan/Jeju tourist) Trevor Kjorlien for a round-table conversation on ethical travel, the end of the 'Golden Age' of flying and how to approach international travel in an era of climate crisis with TKF host Andre

K-Words Enter the English Language Lexicon

Aug 04 2022 37 mins  
Widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary is the unsurpassed guide of its meaning, history, and pronunciation featuring more than 600,000 words and spanning over 1000 years. In this conversation UK scholar Cerise Louisa Andrews joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the recent influx of Korean-origin words into English, the influen

The Rise of Contemporary Feminism

May 07 2022 34 mins  
On a new episode scholar Mikayla Neyens joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the cultural events that have inspired and defined contemporary feminism in South Korea, exploring the new face of radical activism confronting the threats of Deepfake porn, 'Molka' and the 'Nth Room' cyber sex ring, and explaining how its rising political influence nearly defeated a misogynist political est

Understanding Korean Political Ideology (w/ Michael Breen)

Mar 03 2022 59 mins  
Michael Breen, CEO of Seoul-based PR firm Insight Communications Consultants and author of the outstanding 2017 book ‘The New Koreans: The Story of a Nation', joins host Andre Goulet to preview next week's Presidential Election and explore the unique ideological history and framework behind South Korean electoral politics.For more on Michael's most recent book see https://www.goo

Unpacking the Origins of Seoulbox

Jan 16 2022 37 mins  
Seoulbox has been bringing a taste of Korea through snacks, magazines, and K-pop merch to subscribers around the world since 2019 with a focus on authenticity and the darker side of Korean culture that has cultivated an enthusiastic clientele. In this conversation Suji Sohn joins host Andre Goulet to describe her journey from War Studies major at King’s College London, where she