Korea and the World

Produced in cooperation with the East Asian Studies Center at The Ohio State University, Korea and the World takes a broad academic approach to both Koreas. Over 87 episodes running from 2014 to 2021, the show interviewed professors, professionals, and intellectuals living and working in South Korea on political, economic, and societal issues. The North Korea content sits alongside episodes about K-Pop fandom, South Korean demographics, and regional economic trends. What makes this show valuable for North Korea listeners specifically is the academic rigor applied to DPRK topics. Episodes covering technology and cell phones inside North Korea, China’s role on the peninsula, and the economic realities of sanctions draw on published research rather than speculation. Each interview runs about 45 minutes to just over an hour -- long enough to get into substance, short enough to finish during a workout, as one reviewer noted. The show earned a 4.3-star rating from 15 reviewers who consistently praise the thoughtful questioning and diverse guest selection. It stopped publishing new episodes in 2021, so treat the catalog as a historical archive rather than a current events source. The back episodes on inter-Korean economic relations and Chinese influence remain some of the most substantive podcast conversations you will find on these subjects.