KOREA PRO Podcast koreapro.org

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, co-hosts Jeongmin and John discuss recent developments in South Korea-Japan relations, focusing on the tech leak that compromised hundreds of thousands of Japanese personal data. They also discuss Japan’s push to force out Naver, a South Korean tech portal company, from its partnership with Japan’s SoftBank in the wake of the incident.



The duo also explores the challenges South Korea faces in potentially joining AUKUS Pillar 2, which focuses on developing advanced capabilities and sharing technology among member nations. Jeongmin and John analyze Seoul’s task of demonstrating its capacity and commitment to improving information security, a key factor in being considered for collaboration under Pillar 2.



Additionally, the co-hosts delve into the key takeaways from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s first press briefing in 21 months. They examine Yoon’s conditional willingness to support a special investigation into the death of a South Korean marine last year and his firm stance against reopening the investigation into the first lady’s alleged stock manipulation.



Jeongmin and John also discuss Yoon’s diplomatic sidestep when asked about the potential return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, as well as his plans to tackle the country’s low birth rate through a new ministry and his push for controversial tax reforms, which are expected to face fierce opposition.



About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.



This episode was recorded on May 9, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith

In the latest episode of the Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin, Lina and Joon Ha discuss the much-anticipated first formal meeting between opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and President Yoon Suk-yeol since Yoon's inauguration. The episode highlights how Lee’s surprise speech to the press allowed the opposition to dominate the optics. However, the outcome remained ambiguous, with both sides presenting differing narratives of the discussion and leaving several high-profile issues unresolved.



The episode also delves into upcoming political events, including Choo Mi-ae, the frontrunner for speaker of the National Assembly, nominations for the next ruling and opposition floor leaders, a plenary session to pass the revised Itaewon probe bill, a contentious bill for a special investigation into the death of a marine last year, and updates on the doctors' strikes.



Lastly, the Korea Pro team discusses socio-economic issues, such as the controversy over universal cash vouchers and the financial pressures faced by small and medium-sized business owners. They also explore the recent rise of unmanned shops and the associated social challenges.



About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.



This episode was recorded on May 1, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith

In this week's episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, co-hosts Jeongmin and John delve into the upcoming meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. They discuss Lee’s proposal to provide $180 to every South Korean citizen, which would cost around $9 billion, and analyze the potential impact and motivations behind this plan.



The duo also examines South Korea’s recent arms exports to Romania. They also explore the potential for expanded nuclear energy cooperation between South Korea and Romania while considering the implications of Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s dismissed case against South Korea over the APR1400 reactor design.



Finally, the co-hosts discuss the political fate of Cho Kuk, whose Rebuilding Korea Party failed to secure the 20 seats necessary to form a negotiation group in the National Assembly.



About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.



This episode was recorded on April 25, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin is on vacation, so John is joined by news trainees Joon Ha Park and Lina Park. The trio discusses the aftermath of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s senior staff resignations following the ruling People Power Party’s defeat in the previous week’s general elections.



The team examines potential candidates for the prime minister and chief of staff positions. They also delve into Yoon’s meeting with Daegu City Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and the president’s remark about being open to meeting with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, a significant development given Yoon’s lack of engagement with Lee since his inauguration.



The episode also covers the controversy surrounding the Sewol documentary, which was originally planned to air on KBS on April 18 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the ferry sinking. The team discusses KBS’ decision to postpone the documentary’s air date to June, citing concerns about influencing the general elections and their desire to reframe the documentary to focus on PTSD in general rather than solely on the Sewol tragedy.



About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.



This episode was recorded on April 18, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith

In this slightly extended episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin and John delve into the aftermath of South Korea’s general elections, which saw the ruling People Power Party (PPP) suffer another landslide defeat while the Democratic Party (DP) and the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) emerged victorious.



The hosts discuss the string of resignations that followed the election, including PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the president's chief of staff. They also explore the question of who will become the PPP’s new leader and whether President Yoon Suk-yeol will finally meet with DP leader Lee Jae-myung.



Jeongmin and John then delve into the potential for cooperation between the DP and the RKP, as well as which new parties have entered the National Assembly and which ones have lost their seats. Finally, they discuss what the election results could mean for some of the president’s long-term policies and his overall agenda.



About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.



This episode was recorded on April 11, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith



Editor’s note: The hosts stated that the Liberty Unification Party won a National Assembly seat. However, the party received less than the required 3% of total votes and remains unrepresented in the National Assembly.

In this episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin and John cover three key topics surrounding the upcoming South Korean general elections.



First, they delve into the record number of overseas South Koreans who participated in early voting. John shares his experiences with this demographic from his younger days and discusses how the group may have changed over the years.



Next, the hosts address the People Power Party’s challenges, as its interim leader, Han Dong-hoon, pleads with voters during campaign rallies amid low approval rates and calls from within for the president to resign from the party, which have impacted the PPP’s electoral prospects.



Then, Jeongmin examines the controversy surrounding Democratic Party candidate Kim Jun-hyeok, running for parliament in Gyeonggi Province’s Suwon D district. In Aug. 2022, Kim made controversial remarks on a YouTube channel about Kim Hwal-lan, the first president of Ewha Womans University, alleging her involvement in sending “comfort women” to Japan during wartime and forcing Ewha students to provide sexual favors to U.S. military officers during the U.S. military’s rule of the southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 1945 to 1948.



Finally, the team delves into the different video strategies that the three main political parties have adopted to rally their voters, even if all of them are centered around their party leaders to one degree or another.



About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.



This episode was recorded on April 3, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith