HeyJaredUnderstanding Korea, One Story at a Time
A closer look at Korea’s current events, culture, history, and social issues—how they shape the Korea of today and tomorrow. For those seeking to understand the stories and moments that brought Korea to where it is now.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
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- Sep 22, 2026
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- Aug 26, 2026
Latest issues
68. Reading a School Lunch Backward (opens the original)
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🎧 The newsletter follows the meal. The podcast follows the job titles—and the fame. Why does a Korean school have a “nutrition teacher,” and how does a cafeteria cook become a Netflix star? This week’s companion episode takes those questions beyond the pages of this book.Last week, I traced the history of Korean school lunch from postwar food relief and the <a href="https://youtu.be/pMGQt3xMpKE?si=XJG9p_sUatHIc_CF"
67. The Lunch Korea Built (opens the original)
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🎙️ Want the version with more lunchboxes, rice inspections, and a mayor on his knees over school lunch?I spent much of the summer asking people about their lunchboxes, school days, rice inspections, evening study, and the quiet logistics that made Korean childhood work. Writing the script alone took me a month. I honestly do not think I have ever prepared a podcast episode quite this intensely. Most of what I found never made it into today’s essay, simply because the essay was already running lo
66. A New Season Begins with School Lunch (opens the original)
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In today’s note: why a Korean school lunch tray became my next big story, what’s changing this fall, news about a new project, and an update for paid members.🎧 This story has an audio companion: This week’s podcast goes deeper into why I became fascinated by Korean school lunch, what surprised me during the research, and some of the more personal stories behind this new season. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, I hope you’ll come listen too. The essay gives you t
31(21). The Security Prison: The Mirror Called “North Korea,” and the Politics of Controlled Memory (opens the original)
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Archive note: This essay was originally published on October 16, 2025, as part of an early podcast-format post. As I reorganize the archive, I am removing those early episodes from the public podcast feed since they no longer match the current format, while preserving the written essays in the regular article archive. I have lightly updated a few references and contextual details for accuracy as of August 2026. This is the final archival restack before the newsletter returns for a new fall seaso
30(20). How Trauma Built Modern Korea: From “Ppalli-Ppalli” to the Miracle on the Han River (opens the original)
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Archive note: This essay was originally published on October 9, 2025, as part of an early podcast-format post. As I reorganize the archive, I am removing those early episodes from the public podcast feed since they no longer match the current format, while preserving the written essays in the regular article archive. I have lightly updated a few references and contextual details for accuracy as of August 2026. This is an archival update, not a new newsletter issue.A note from the original 2025 p
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