KOREA PRO Podcast koreapro.org

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

In this special extended episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, Jeongmin and John are joined by special guest Jumin Lee, a Los Angeles-based attorney and Korea Pro contributor. The trio delves into three critical topics surrounding the upcoming South Korean general elections.



First, they examine the decrease in the number of female candidates running for office, a stark contrast to the increased female representation in the 2020 general election. They also discuss the ambiguous definition of a “youth politician” in South Korean politics.



Next, the conversation shifts to the deteriorating political culture in South Korea. The rise of the Rebuilding Korea Party, led by former justice minister Cho Kuk, showcases how a party with no political infrastructure can challenge mainstream parties. The hosts also address the conservative audience’s reaction to the stabbing of Lee Jae-myung at the start of the year and explore the factors contributing to the current state of South Korea’s political culture.



Finally, the discussion focuses on potential post-election legislation, including the potential revival of the anti-discrimination bill, Cho Kuk’s plans to reform the Prosecutors' Office, upcoming defense cost negotiations with the U.S., and the possibility of tax credits for large businesses.



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 March 28, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith

On this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, we start by discussing the Seoul city bus drivers’ strike, which began just hours before our recording and ended just hours after we finished recording. The drivers demanded higher wages, and the strike marked the first in 12 years.



Next, we explore People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon’s pledge to relocate the National Assembly from Seoul to Sejong City, the latest development in the government’s long-running “move-out-of-Seoul” campaign.



We then examine President Yoon Suk-yeol’s decision to temporarily halt his People’s Livelihood Debates until after the general elections to avoid accusations of election interference.



Next, we discuss South Korea’s ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup’s extended return to South Korea just days after being appointed to his post. He faces allegations of interfering with investigations into the death of a South Korean marine in July 2023. A day after we finished recording, Lee offered to resign to “strongly respond to [investigative] procedures.”



On the international front, we discuss the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which is expected to result in an upgrade to their mutual alliance. We consider the potential implications for South Korea, especially if Donald Trump is re-elected in Nov. 2024.



Finally, we cover the Korean Medical Association’s election of Lim Hyun-taek, a fierce critic of the Yoon administration’s decision to increase medical school admissions.



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 March 28, 2024. 



Audio edited by Joe Smith