Korean shamanism is a set of ethnic religions and practices. It has a long history on the peninsula, yet the role it plays in Korean society has changed over time, and especially so before and during the colonial era. We spoke to to Professor Merose Hwang about Korean Shamanism in general and its fate during the Japanese rule.
Buddhism has a long history in Korea, yet its most popular period lies centuries in the past. During the Koryo period, from the 10th to the 14th century, it was the official state religion on the Korea peninsula – until it fell from grace. We spoke to Professor Juhn Ahn about the reasons for and origins of this change of Buddhism’s fate.
In early 1968, North Korea attacked and captured the American ship USS Pueblo in international waters. One of the crew members died, the other 82 were imprisoned and tortured for eleven months. We spoke to Professor Mitchell B. Lerner about the story of the ship, the historical context of the events as well as their tragic avoidability.
Science Fiction, and most prominently movie franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, is not particularly popular in South Korea. In contrast to that, North Korea has a rich tradition of Science Fiction. We spoke to Professor Dong-Won Kim about the history, reception and characteristics of Science Fiction in the two Korean states.