What’s Han Your Mind?

Allison Needels and Hannah Roberts are two expats living in Seoul who found a genuinely clever format for their Korean culture podcast. Each episode starts with a single word -- something like cheese or glass or laundry soap -- and then the two of them trace that word through Korean history, customs, and daily life. The result is surprisingly educational. An episode about roses might end up covering Joseon-era court gardens, while an episode on dentistry takes you through the development of Korean healthcare systems. Across 90 episodes and three seasons (2020-2022), the show built up an impressive catalog of Korean history and culture topics. They tackle serious subjects like the status of LGBTQIA+ rights and anti-discrimination legislation in South Korea, period poverty and menstrual health policy, and gender equality -- but they also get into lighter territory like Korean bug culture, the history of Christmas arriving on the peninsula, and the evolution of K-dramas from their earliest days. The tone is casual and funny without being shallow. Both hosts clearly read up on their topics before recording, and they have a good sense of when to crack jokes and when to let the history speak for itself. Hannah runs a Korean travel blog, and Allie writes about Korean history at PinPointKorea.com, so between them they bring both academic curiosity and on-the-ground Seoul experience. The show wrapped in December 2022 with a season finale recapping their favorite Korean discoveries, but the full back catalog remains a solid resource for anyone interested in Korean culture beyond the usual tourist highlights.