Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone? Part 2 Artwork

The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Korean dark history, ghost tales, folklore, serial killers, true crime, and more. You are about to discover why Korea has the spookiest stories and darkest history.Folklorist Shawn and history buff Joe delve into Korea's gruesome stories of massacres, betrayals, and blood. It's like "Game of Thrones" in Asia. We share our passion for Korea and its struggles throughout time. If you enjoy shows like "Kingdom," this is the podcast for you. Even if you know nothing about Korea, its history will become your new addiction.Subscribe, sit back, and enjoy.

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The Dark Side of Seoul Podcast

Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone? Part 2

January 08, 2026 • ZenKimchi • Episode 300

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Our 300th episode!

Pojangmacha didn’t disappear by accident.

In Part 2 of Where Have All the Soju Tents Gone, Joe and Shawn trace how Seoul’s soju tents went from survival spaces to cultural nuisances, then to nostalgic props. From Olympic-era crackdowns and hired enforcers to violent evictions, gentrification, and sanitized “sensibility pocha streets,” this episode looks at how modernization erased a vital part of everyday life.

This isn’t a story about food. It’s about power, class, gender, and who gets to stay visible in a global city.

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Produced by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey

Music by Soraksan

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