The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

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After the release of his book Supernatural Encounters in South Korea, one of the comments Shawn received surprised him.

Several readers expected a book about ghosts to be written by a true believer. Instead, they found a surprisingly skeptical approach to paranormal claims. One reviewer described the book as "a rather clever turn," while another called Shawn "a more discerning Peter Underwood."

In this episode, Joe and Shawn discuss why skepticism is essential when researching ghost encounters, supernatural folklore, shamanism, and alleged hauntings. They explore pareidolia, memorates, social media ghost hunters, fraudulent psychics, and why cultural traditions should never be treated as automatic evidence for the supernatural.

Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com

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Credits

Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey

Music by Soraksan

Top tier Patrons
Angel Earl

Joel Bonomini

Devon Hiphner

Gabi Palomino

Steve Marsh

Eva Sikora

Ron Chang

Mackenzie Moore

Hunter Winter

Cecilia Löfgren Dumas

Josephine Rydberg

Devin Buchanan

Ashley Wright

George Irion

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South Korea just held its 9th nationwide local elections on June 3, 2026, and what should have been a routine referendum on President Lee Jae-myung's first year turned into a genuine mess. Polling stations in Seoul started running out of ballot paper mid-day. Voters waited hours. Some gave up and left. In Songpa and Gangnam, people were still voting at 10 p.m. And then the protesters showed up to block the ballot boxes.
Joe and Shawn break down what actually happened, why the National Election Commission's explanation is both accurate and embarrassing, and why "we ran out of paper" is such a uniquely devastating failure for an institution that was already under scrutiny. They also take a longer look at Korea's post-1987 democratic history, a list of election fiascos that includes vote-buying rice bags, NIS agents running smear campaigns online, COVID ballot chaos, and a 2022 election where the main controversy was that ballots were being transported in plastic baskets you'd buy at Daiso.
Korea's democracy is real. It's also messy, loudly contested, and occasionally embarrassing. This episode is about both of those things being true at the same time.
Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com
Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com
Support the show
Join our Patreon to get more stuff
https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul
Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com
Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/
Credits
Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey
Music by Soraksan

Top tier Patrons
Angel Earl
Joel Bonomini
Devon Hiphner
Gabi Palomino
Steve Marsh
Eva Sikora
Ron Chang
Mackenzie Moore
Hunter Winter
Cecilia Löfgren Dumas
Josephine Rydberg
Devin Buchanan
Ashley Wright
George Irion
Facebook Page |
Instagram

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail
A car exploded in Shawn’s neighborhood, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed multiple vehicles and exposed a brutal insurance loophole in Korea.
In this Fun Sized episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the recent fire involving a smoking vehicle that erupted near a GS25 convenience store, igniting a nearby van and damaging surrounding buildings. The discussion quickly turns to the aftermath, where the owner of the destroyed van discovered his insurance would not pay because the vehicle had allegedly been parked improperly.
The result: roughly 20 million won out of pocket, business disruption, and another example of how small legal technicalities in Korea can suddenly become life-changing disasters.

Korea's #1 ghost and dark history walking tour. Book at DarkSideOfSeoul.com
Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com
Support the show
Join our Patreon to get more stuff
https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul
Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com
Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/
Credits
Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey
Music by Soraksan

Top tier Patrons
Angel Earl
Joel Bonomini
Devon Hiphner
Gabi Palomino
Steve Marsh
Eva Sikora
Ron Chang
Mackenzie Moore
Hunter Winter
Cecilia Löfgren Dumas
Josephine Rydberg
Devin Buchanan
Ashley Wright
George Irion
Facebook Page |
Instagram

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail
AI scams are getting weirder.
In this Fun Sized episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the rise of biometric crime in Korea and how AI tools can now potentially lift fingerprints from ordinary photos posted online. Korean security experts are warning that common hand gestures like peace signs and finger hearts may expose enough detail for criminals to recreate biometric data.
The hosts explore why Korea is especially vulnerable due to its high-tech culture, selfie habits, and long history with phishing and cybercrime. They also look at how AI is rapidly changing the future of identity theft and why “just don’t show your fingertips” might soon become normal online safety advice.
Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com
Support the show
Join our Patreon to get more stuff
https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul
Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com
Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/
Credits
Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey
Music by Soraksan

Top tier Patrons
Angel Earl
Joel Bonomini
Devon Hiphner
Gabi Palomino
Steve Marsh
Eva Sikora
Ron Chang
Mackenzie Moore
Hunter Winter
Cecilia Löfgren Dumas
Josephine Rydberg
Devin Buchanan
Ashley Wright
George Irion
Facebook Page |
Instagram

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail
“Koreans are better surgeons because they use metal chopsticks.”
“Korean grammar makes people more emotionally intelligent.”
“Korean relationships are deeper because the language has honorifics.”
You’ve probably heard some version of these before.
In this Fun Sized episode, we look at some of the strangest Korean nationalist myths, where they come from, why people believe them, and how “gukbbong” culture keeps creating new ones.
Inspired by a satirical flyer by Michael Hurt of Seoul Street Studios.
Get your comic at DarkSideOfSeoul.com
Support the show
Join our Patreon to get more stuff
https://patreon.com/darksideofseoul
Book a tour of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk at https://darksideofseoul.com
Pitch your idea here. https://www.darksideofseoul.com/expats-of-the-wild-east/
Credits
Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey
Music by Soraksan

Top tier Patrons
Angel Earl
Joel Bonomini
Devon Hiphner
Gabi Palomino
Steve Marsh
Eva Sikora
Ron Chang
Mackenzie Moore
Hunter Winter
Cecilia Löfgren Dumas
Josephine Rydberg
Devin Buchanan
Ashley Wright
George Irion
Facebook Page |
Instagram

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.