Show Notes
This week, Jun and Daniel celebrate Christmas and close out 2025 with their third annual "Ssamary"—a comprehensive year-end wrap-up. The episode begins with a look at their current holiday vibes, exploring why Daniel is struggling to feel festive this year and Jun's memories of his father's unique "sparrow" surveillance tactic for behavior. As they transition into the review, they break down the podcast's statistics, celebrate milestones like surviving creative burnout to find a sustainable s...
More from Korean. American. Podcast
After nearly 130 episodes and three years of conversations, Korean. American. Podcast. is coming to a close. What began as a naive and unassuming attempt to deepen our understanding of each other's cultures grew into something neither of us could have ever expected: an English-language learning podcast. Jokes aside, as the episodes got longer and the topics became more complicated, we discovered that when it comes to cultural differences, there rarely is a right and wrong. There is simply di...
This week, Jun and Daniel sit down for Part Two of their final podcast summary, diving deep into the core pillars of Korean culture they’ve explored over the last 125+ episodes. Attempting to create a definitive "Korean American Podcast Dictionary," the hosts debate the true definitions of Jeong, Han, Nunchi, and Guk-rule. Daniel challenges the romanticization of Jeong by highlighting the healthiness of American boundaries, while Jun explains how Nunchi acts as the ultimate tool for social ef...
This week, Jun and Daniel escape the studio for a special 24-hour "vacation" to a modern hanok in Seoul's Seochon neighborhood to record their final wrap-up episodes. With the podcast winding down, the hosts take a moment to reflect on their incredible journey, starting with a recap of their very first in-person listener meetup. Daniel shares his awe at seeing 60 listeners gather at a Korean pub to mingle in an "American-style" standing party, highlighting the beautiful culture clash of the e...
This week, Jun and Daniel sit down for a deeply personal and emotional episode dedicated to honoring the lives, sacrifices, and unconditional love of Daniel’s two halmonis (grandmothers). With his family's impending move back to the US, Daniel shares one of his biggest regrets: failing to formally archive his 102-year-old grandmother’s incredible life story before her memory faded. Daniel recounts the awe-inspiring resilience of his paternal grandmother—who survived Japanese occupation and fl...
This week, Jun and Daniel delay the topic they were supposed to discuss and instead catch up after Daniel's recent trip to Stockholm, Sweden. Daniel brings back some authentic Swedish Fish and speed-runs his observations on Nordic life—from the beautifully balanced philosophy of lagom, the prevalence of dads out alone with their young children, and the sheer amount of bicyclists flying about town. He also recounts his deeply emotional "Avicii pilgrimage," surviving Finnish airport security, a...