In this episode of the Patch, Kev, Ryan, and Jack talk about what it’s like to be back in the classroom now that Covid is winding down. After two years of teaching online, those classroom teaching muscles seemed to have atrophied for the guys. And like modern day Rip Van Winkles, the guys have had …
In this week’s episode, Kevin talks about the Korean drama The Veil. Listen and find out what he thinks about it. If you like K-dramas, you won’t want to miss this episode of Seoul Patch Reviews!
In this episode of The Seoul Patch Podcast, the guys talk to Jiyeon Lim, a recent university grad who is on the hunt for a job here in South Korea. During our chat, we talked to Jiyeon about the trials and tribulations of trying to find a job once you have graduated from university. We …
In this week’s Patch, we talk to Maria, a hagwon owner and entrepreneur here in South Korea. Maria responded to one of our Facebook posts inviting hagwon owners to come on the show and share different perspectives of the English language academy AKA the English hagwon. Maria was kind enough to give us an hour …
In this episode of the pod, Kev and Jack interview Teacher Chaunna. Chaunna’s journey to Korea is remarkable in its own right. But while here, she has had two very positive hagwon experiences. And that’s not to say they have all been rainbows and teddy bears for her. But hearing how she was able to …
53. The Hagwon Chronicles: A Positive Experience! Read More »
This week, the guys are chatting with urban farmer, weekend hiker, and all around good guy, Teacher Sean. In addition to being an English instructor at a university in Seoul, Sean is also very passionate about sustainable agriculture and urban farming. The guys thought it would be a great idea to sit down and pick …
52. How to Grow a Salad on Your Veranda with Teacher Sean Read More »
In this week’s Patch, the guys talk to George AKA The Intrepid Global Citizen. George is an English lecturer here in South Korea, but he’s also an avid biker, hiker, and all around adventurer. Did I mention he has a YouTube channel? Smash that subscribe button to follow George as he partakes on different journeys …
51. A Marvelous Chat with The Intrepid Global Citizen Read More »
We’re opening the vaults and giving you a special bonus episode of the podcast. In this episode, Jack is flying solo as he interviews Teacher Doug about working conditions at a school where the boss had a hard time delegating responsibility to the teaching staff and spent a lot of time micromanaging things. It’s a …
50. The Hagwon Chronicles Bonus Episode: Don’t Micromanage Me Bro! Read More »
In this week’s Patch, the guys talk about the recent protests in the Seoul subway by people with disabilities. The guys share their opinions about how accessible the city’s subway and bus systems are for those with physical disabilities. Later in the episode, the guys discuss the foreign influx of capital in regard to Korean …
In this week’s Patch, Kevin and Ryan talk about some of the ways Korea might be changing in the wake of Korea’s recent election. At first, they mention the tight election that has just occurred and how the outcome of that election might affect certain parts of the energy grid. Then, they discuss other ways …
In this week’s episode, we talk to Xochitl, a newbie to Korea and a fantastic guest. She talks about the process of moving from the USA to Korea, and how acquiring the documentation needed to work here can be challenging. It was great fun hearing her first impressions of Korea and seeing the country again …
47. The Hagwon Chronicles: Life as a Newbie in Korea Read More »
In this week’s episode of The Seoul Patch Podcast, we give you another installment of The Hagwon Chronicles. This time, the guys interview two seasoned English teachers: Jake and Nick. Unfortunately, Jake and Nick experienced problems early on in their teaching careers. These problems ranged from getting paid late each month to being dressed down by the …
In this week’s episode, Kevin talks about the Korean drama Chief Kim. Listen and find out what he thinks about it. If you like K-dramas, you won’t want to miss this episode of Seoul Patch Reviews!
When Frank first arrived in Korea, things were looking up. The director picked him up from the airport and helped him get settled into his new apartment, his schedule wasn’t overwhelming, and things at the school seemed to operate smoothly. But all of that would change very quickly. Within the first week, everything had gone …
45. The Hagwon Chronicles: Everything Went Sideways with Frank Read More »
In this week’s episode, the guys talk about those unavoidable cultural faux pas we all make when visiting or living in foreign countries. Jack went to the Facebook well again to gather comments from fellow expats about their own experiences with cultural faux pas. We appreciate our Facebook friends and their insightful comments!
In this week’s episode, Jack talks about the Korean Netflix drama D.P. Listen and find out what Jack thinks about it. If you like K-dramas, you won’t want to miss this episode of Seoul Patch Reviews!
Hop in the DeLorean, fire up the flux capacitor, and set that timer to the 90s because we’re sitting down with Chuck Hohenstein, a 90s OG. Chuck came to Korea in the 90s and shares stories about what is was like teaching back then. He talks about where foreigners hung out, what the infrastructure was …
In this week’s very special episode, the guys are joined by the K-Pop Sunbaes of The K-Pop Sundae Podcast. Whereas Jack, Kevin, and Ryan know little to none about K-Pop in general, the Sunbaes know a heck of a lot! And they were gracious enough to give the guys a crash course. We did a deep …
42. The Seoul Patch Podcast featuring The K-Pop Sunbaes Read More »
In this week’s episode, Kevin talks about the K-drama Chuno (The Slave Hunters). Listen and find out what Kevin’s thoughts are about this Korean drama. If you like K-dramas, you won’t want to miss this episode of Seoul Patch Reviews!
In this week’s episode of The Seoul Patch Podcast, Jack and Ryan talk about saving money in Korea. Seoul ranks high on the cost of living index, however, that has a lot to do with the price of real estate. If your housing is taken care of, it’s not too difficult to save some won …
In this week’s Patch, we talked with Teacher Stephanie Kim about living and teaching in a very rural part of Korea. When people think about teaching in Korea, they don’t often think about areas outside of big cities like Seoul, Busan, and Daegu. But lots of teachers venture into the countryside each year to teach …
40. Life in Rural Korea with Guest Stephanie Kim Read More »
In this episode of Seoul Patch Reviews, Kev tells Jack about the historical Korean drama The Red Sleeve. Watch the series to find out about the Great King Jeongjo and his Royal Noble Consort Seong Deok-im. According to Kev and his wife, it’s a real tearjerker, so get that box of tissues ready!
This week, the guys asked several expats in Korea to name some of the activities they enjoy doing that don’t include partying it up in Hongdae and Itaewon. Not there’s anything wrong with doing that, it’s just that Korea has so much more to offer. The guys share what some of the respondents had to …
39. There’s More to Korea than Hongdae and Itaewon Read More »
In the very first episode of Seoul Patch Reviews, Jack tells Kev what he thinks about the Netflix zombie epic All of Us Are Dead. You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out what Jack thinks. Send us an email at podcast@theseoulpatch.com and tell us what you think about All of Us Are …
In this week’s episode, we welcome teacher Ryan Custodio to the Patch. As a former public school teacher in the USA and a current hagwan teacher in South Korea, he provides some very interesting insights into the differences in education in America and Korea. Ryan discusses some of the challenges as well as the benefits …
38. Teaching in U.S. Public Schools vs. Korean Hagwons with Guest Ryan Custodio Read More »
In this week’s episode, Jack and Ryan talk about the metaverse. They explore the possible advantages a classroom in the metaverse might offer teachers which the actual universe cannot. It’s an interesting conversation you won’t want to miss!
In this week’s episode, the guys talk about those things that teachers here in Korea wish they would have known before coming. Jack went into several expat and teacher Facebook groups asking teachers to share some of those things. The responses he got were incredibly helpful and elucidating. The Seoul Patch hosts would like to …
In this week’s episode, the guys discuss their appreciation for the city of Seoul. While Ryan and Kev still reside there, Jack has been marooned in the outskirts of Gyeonggi, longing to return to the motherland, Seoul proper. Despite Jack’s displacement, the guys still talk about the aspects of the city that they love and …
The guys discuss a BBC article (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59662783) about the illegality of tattooing in South Korea. The guys talk about the current laws regarding tattooing and share some of their experiences getting inked. We’re talking about tattoos in South Korea on this week’s episode of The Seoul Patch Podcast.
Ryan and Jack talk about the Kim Jong-nam assassination at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2017. It’s a crazy story of espionage, palace intrigue, and murder. Give it a listen and let us know what you think: podcast@theseoulpatch.com. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Kim_Jong-nam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xca_uEBHd8 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55940440 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/01/how-north-korea-got-away-with-the-assassination-of-kim-jong-nam
Jack and Kev try to answer an age-old question about Korea in this week’s Stache: Why is everyone sitting on the floor? In this episode, Kevin and Jack talk about “ondol,” which is Korea’s traditional floor heating system (and means ‘hot-stone’ as Kevin realizes!). They discuss the architecture involved and why it was such an …
In this week’s Patch, the guys take a more serious turn as they discuss the June 29th, 1995 collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in Gangnam, Seoul. More than 500 lives were lost in the tragedy. The guys look at the history of the project and the events which led up to the disaster. Here …
In this week’s Patch, we’re a man down, but don’t fret because Kev and Jack are there to guide you through the enigmatic world of Korean television. The guys talk about some of the different popular television genres in Korea. They also discuss some of the programs they have enjoyed throughout the years. Let’s channel …
This week, the guys are talking about celebrating the Christmas holiday as expats in South Korea. The guys use Korea Times columnist Jon Dunbar’s article Celebrating Christmas in Korea in 2021 as a reference. (Celebrating Christmas in Korea in 2021 (koreatimes.co.kr)) If you’re looking for holiday tips in Korea, you won’t want to miss this …
In this week’s episode, the guys discuss several Korean words that have recently made it into the Oxford English dictionary. They talk about the ways English is used in Korean and how some words have retained their meanings while others have not. It’s a metalinguistic good time at The Patch, so why don’t you join …
29. Konglish Makes It into the Oxford English Dictionary! Read More »
In this week’s episode, the guys do a deep dive on Korean shamanism. We discuss the different kinds of shamanism practiced on the peninsula. We even include shamanism on Jeju Island!
In this week’s episode, the guys discuss friendship in Korea. They use Bernard Rowan’s article Cultivating Friendship (koreatimes.co.kr) as a reference point for the discussion. The guys share some laughs as Jack stutters and stammers his way through the intro.
In this week’s episode, we’re one man down, but we’re still bringin’ it! Ryan tells Jack about some of his experiences traveling domestically within Korea, focusing especially on the different types of accommodations that are available for fellow wanderers. The low costs at many of these places might surprise you.
In this week’s episode, Kevin gives Ryan and Jack some background information about the behemoth SNS platform Kakao Talk. The guys discuss its many applications and some of its spinoff businesses. They all have a good time discussing the company, and Ryan is right there to offer some useful tips too. He’s even got a Kakao …
In this week’s episode, the guys talk about the once mega-popular Korean SNS platform Cyworld and its current attempt at a comeback. If you’ve ever wanted to know what a Mini-home-py, an Ilchon, or a Dotori are, you won’t want to miss this one.
All three of the guys are back at the Patch, and they’re talking about bathtub Zoom classes, Halloween in Itaewon, and David Tizzard’s Korea Times article Foreigners, Halloween, and Xenophobia. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2021/11/782_317935.html
It’s time to twirl that Seoul Stache again and give you a bonus episode! Today’s topic came straight from everyone’s favorite streaming platform. That’s right, we’re talkin Squid Game at the Seoul Stache tonight. Grab a cold drink and pop in your Air Pods because Jack and Kevin are taking you back to the island …
In this week’s episode, Ryan tells Jack all about the hundreds of kilometers of well-manicured bike paths that span the length of the country. If you are thinking about getting a bicycle here in Korea or just like two-wheel adventures, you’ll want to listen to this episode.
In this week’s Seoul Patch, Kevin and Jack talk about the fascinating life of the yogurt ajumma. You’ve seen them cruising around on their motorized fridge scooters, but there’s more to being a yogurt ajumma than burning rubber. With the early mornings and hot summer days, the life of a yogurt ajumma is no fairytale. …
It’s time to twirl The Seoul Stache and give you a bonus episode! Today’s topic came straight from one of our listeners. We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to this listener for the support and encouragement. In this episode, Jack and Ryan discuss how certain hot spots in Korea have changed over the past …
This week, the guys discuss some of the harsh realities young people are facing these days. Recent college grads have to contend with an extremely tough job market, an impossible real estate market, and high education costs if they decide to have children. The guys pull at a lot of threads as they carefully, or …
In this week’s episode, the guys discuss that ofttimes mystifying and perplexing thing called good etiquette here in Korea. They talk about several scenarios where expats might be worried about making a fool of themselves and share some of their own embarrassing cultural faux pas. They also give some advice about how one might more …
In this week’s podcast, the guys discuss the oftentimes irksome task of driving here in Korea. The guys talk about some of the annoyances associated with driving in Korea and how they deal with the challenges of navigating the roads in such a densely populated city like Seoul. Thank the gods for modern navigation systems! …
In this week’s episode, we’re one man down. But Kev and Jack are there to hold down the fort. They discuss drinking in South Korea. Korea is pretty famous for its cheap, and fairly strong, liqueur called soju. Most who dare to imbibe this drink have spent a night or two praying to the porcelain …
In this week’s episode, the guys talk about renting an apartment in Korea and the exorbitant amounts of deposit money associated with doing so. The guys talk about large money deposits, money deposits with monthly payments, and how to go about finding a place. Hint* Real estate agents can be really helpful!
