Professor Song Se-ryun analyzes the challenges and uncertain future facing the People Power Party and conservative politics in Korea following recent political events in an interview with Jang-Ho.
24 Jun 2025
EP11. Lee Wins Election But Trepidation Remains
Professor Song Se-ryung analyzes President Lee Jae Myung's election victory and the controversies arising during his initial weeks in office, offering insights into the implications of these developments in this interview.
30 May 2025
EP10. What to Look Out For on Election Day
This episode analyzes the key factors to watch on election day, including voter turnout and potential candidate performance, offering insights into possible outcomes.
14 May 2025
EP09. People Power Party Meltdown
Jang-Ho looks back at an extraordinary few days in Korean politics, led by the People Power Party's attempt forcibly install former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as the presidential candidate, despite former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo winning the party primary. The saga involved public negotiations in front of the press, searching for loophole clauses in the party rules, a one-hour candidate registration window at 3AM, and a surprise party member poll.
We also cover Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung's reprieve from legal risks and New Reform Party Lee Jun-seok's dilemma.
For questions, suggestions and feedback, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief
#koreanpolitics #koreanpoliticsdebrief
2 May 2025
EP08. 3 Leaders in One Day + Truth & Reconciliation
w/ Jack Greenberg
Substack: https://ggachi.substack.com/ (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbEl6VXlabFJEOWRRNGN5bjMyamR0QUFsNWFqQXxBQ3Jtc0trUTlqY1NJQW5NVlNTSFVfSXBSQ2NtZy1TOXZQX1BFak5QLURpd0JzWXAxZVN4M0gzdHc3dUFucjMxMkptWno0eVNscDc2ZG00ZmhwdHdKUmZFaGdNYTZkSjQybmd0MmZiOEpvRHhtZUVLNWd5WlZqRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fggachi.substack.com%2F&v=t4fJcwmzNSE)BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jackwgreenberg.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwgreenberg/
May 1st was one of the craziest days in recent Korean political history. The Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling in Lee Jae-myung’s election law violation case, Acting President Han Duck-soo resigned ahead of his presidential bid, and Acting Acting President Choi Sang-mok resigned after the DP tried to impeach him. This has now left Education Minister Lee Ju-ho as the Acting (x3) President.
We start by unpacking the latest developments, before the interview with writer and researcher Jack Greenberg. We talk about his personal story and how he developed his interest in Korean history and politics. He then gives us his assessment of the current political situation. We finally talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, its achievements and shortcomings, as well as what lies ahead.
0:00:00 - Introduction: A Crazy Day In Korean Politics
0:01:55 - Supreme Court Overturns Lee Verdict
0:06:25 - Article 84 of the Constitution
0:09:14 - DP Attempts to Impeach Choi Sang-mok
0:11:10 - PPP Primary: Kim vs. Han
0:11:50 - Han Duck-soo’s Presidential Bid
0:16:10 - Jack Greenberg Interview
0:25:11 - Looking back at Yoon’s Presidency
0:31:03 - PPP Primary: Kim Moon-soo
0:35:33 - PPP Primary: Han Dong-hoon
0:37:47 - Han Duck-soo Wild Card
0:41:57 - President Lee Jae-myung?
0:49:25 - Truth and Reconciliation Commission
0:53:20 - TRC: Success or Failure?
0:56:26 - TRC's Uncertain Future
1:02:50 - Sabuk Incident
1:08:25 - Outro
For questions, suggestions and feedback, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief
#koreanpolitics #koreanpoliticsdebrief
22 Apr 2025
EP07. How Has Korea Changed in 40+ Years?
w/ Michael Breen
Founder and CEO of Insight Communications
Author of 'The New Koreans: The Story of a Nation'
Fmr. Korea Correspondent for The Guardian, Washington Times
Fmr. President of Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club
Honorary Citizen of Seoul
First, Jang-Ho catches up on the latest in the presidential primaries, including the machinations to try and place Acting President Han Duck-soo as the conservative bloc candidate.
Then Jang-Ho talks to Michael Breen, looking back on his 40+ years in Korea. He shares with us stories about life as a foreign journalist in the 80's, his observations how Korea has changed, and how he views the recent political crisis.
For questions, suggestions and feedback, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief
#koreanpolitics #koreanpoliticsdebrief
13 Apr 2025
EP06. Looking Back at Yoon's Impeachment
w/ Jeongmin Kim (Korea Pro)
https://x.com/jeongminnkim
https://koreapro.org/
The nation has moved swiftly on from Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment and is now in election-mode. But for this week's podcast, we look back at the historic day with Jeongmin Kim, who was at the Constitutional Court. We discuss the decisive nature of the verdict, why there was no violent backlash from the Pro-Yoon supporters, and what comes next.
If you want to ask a question for the Listeners’ Questions section, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief
#koreanpolitics #koreanpoliticsdebrief
23 Mar 2025
EP05. Will PM Han Duck-soo Be Impeached?
No interview this week, but a preview of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment ruling, and Jang-Ho's take on the latest developments.
00:00 - Intro
01:23 - Will the Constitutional Court uphold Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment?
06:57 - Will Acting-President Choi Sang-mok be impeached?
10:26 - When will President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment verdict be announced?
12:35 - Previewing Lee Jae-myung's appeals trial ruling
15:29 - Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's bad week
19:44 - Bipartisan Agreement on Pension Reform
If you want to ask a question for the Listeners’ Questions section, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief
#koreanpolitics #koreanpoliticsdebrief
17 Mar 2025
EP04. Reporting on the Martial Law Crisis
w/ Raphael Rashid
https://bsky.app/profile/koryodynasty.bsky.social
https://x.com/koryodynasty
This week, as we continue to wait for the Constitutional Court's verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, I am joined by freelance journalist Raphael Rashid, who has been reporting the martial law crisis extensively, interviewing people close to Yoon, and his supporters at the protests.
If you want to ask a question for the Listeners’ Questions section, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ (https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919)
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief (https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief)
#koreanpolitics #koreanpoliticsdebrief
10 Mar 2025
EP03. Who Will Be The Next President?*
*pending President Yoon's impeachment
w/ Subin Kim
Author of Korea Kontext newsletter https://koreakontext.com/
Managing Editor of Pado
Korea Correspondent for Reporters Without Borders
Former Journalist of BBC World Service Korea
The South Korean political scene has been left in a tailspin following President Yoon Suk Yeol's unexpected release from detention. But the impeachment trial verdict is still expected to come within days, and President Yoon is still expected to be impeached.
With that in mind, in this episode we look ahead to the potential presidential election, the key contenders in the race, and see where the parties stand before the starting pistol is fired, and chaos of the race begins.
If you want to ask a question for the Listeners’ Questions section, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ (https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919)
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief (https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief)
#koreanpoliticsdebrief
3 Mar 2025
EP02. Why did President Yoon declare martial law?
w./ Prof. Benjamin Engel (Dankook University)
https://bsky.app/profile/benjaminaengel.bsky.social
The Constitutional Court has wrapped up its hearings in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial, and a ruling is expected in mid-March. As the nation holds its breath, we take another look back at President Yoon’s incredible decision to declare martial law, how it fits into the context of modern Korean history and what comes next.
If you want to ask a question for the Listeners’ Questions section, please email koreanpoliticsdebrief@gmail.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ (https://open.spotify.com/show/0ggJUSgR5hEVzmP906gnoS?si=6ftr7PNpTb6_1HJ2lt0QwQ)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/korean-politics-debrief/id1798237919)
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief (https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanPoliticsDebrief)
#koreanpoliticsdebrief
24 Feb 2025
EP01. Will President Yoon be impeached?
w/ Prof. Cho Hee-kyoung (Hongik Uni.)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly on December 14 for his ill-fated attempt to declare martial law 11 days earlier. He now faces the Constitutional Court's ruling on whether to uphold or reject the impeachment.
In this episode we look at:
- What will the constitutional court justices be making their ruling on?
- Will they be fair?
- Will President Yoon be impeached?
24 Feb 2025
EP00. Introduction
Welcome to Korean Politics Digest!
Join me, Kwon Jang-Ho, as I delve into the dynamic world of Korean politics, unpacking the latest developments, with insightful guests.
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Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100
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