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Today’s theme: Big Eating
Opinion is split over the Korean government's recent move to set up guidelines against what it deems "unhealthy eating habits," primarily targeting "먹방," binge-eating shows that are available online. Supporters of the move say regulations are needed to raise awareness about mindless overeating and the consequent health risks. Others claim the move also infringes upon individual freedom of choice. We look into different aspects of big eating and even extreme eating with competitive eater/youtube stars.
The Conversationalist
with
Randy Santel
- Professional eater from St Louis, Missouri and founder and owner of FoodChallenges.com
Can you share some of the tips of how to eat a lot in a short period of time? You also posted many ‘how-to’ videos for people trying to break into the competitive eating.
One of the biggest events, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has even been aired on ESPN for the past eight years. Do you think competitive eating can be considered a sport?
&
Raina Huang
- Competitive eater based in local Southern California
People say it’s getting harder to make money by becoming a Youtuber as the market is getting more and more competitive. What’s it like for the eating Youtubers? How easy would you say it is to start now and get successful?
You try out food from different cultures and even took a trip to Spain to explore the food there. Is this an aspect do you think that differentiate your channel from others?
Media Monster
Next week: Space Force -
Today’s theme: 북캉스(Boocance)
Hot weather created new trends this year such as 호캉스(Hotel + vacance), 몰캉스 (Mall + vacance), 백캉스 (Department store + vacance), and 북캉스(Book + vacance). These are new compound words created to describe the trend of people enjoying indoor activities to escape from hot, grilling sun rays. All these words end with 캉스, which comes from vacance, the French word of vacation. The prefix in the front refers to places or activities people enjoy indoors. For today’s show, we focus on Boocance, or summer reading with special recommendations for young listeners enjoying the last bit of summer vacation left.
The Conversationalist
with
Sora Kim-Russell
- English translator of 편혜영 Pyun Hye-young’s , the best-selling thriller novel in Korea which received this year’s Shirley Jackson awards in the U.S.
- teaches courses in translation at Ewha Womans University and Literature Translation Institute of Korea
It’s the first time for a Korean novel to win the award, and the writer said that she feels excited to see her work being accepted in the U.S. How do you think was able to gain success in the U.S., where there is a market for genre fiction but doesn’t welcome translated fiction?
&
John Curran
- award-winning expert and archivist who’s been a longtime literary adviser to Agatha Christie's estate
- author of the book
Agatha Christie jotted down plots and ideas on notebooks and journalist Francis Wyndham famously called Christie's plots "animated algebra" - how do you think she was able to come up with such complex, original plots?
Media Monster
Next week: 소확행 (Small but Definite Happiness) -
Today’s theme: Game Addiction
The World Health Organization recently announced that the agency is adding “gaming disorder” to its globally recognized compendium of medical conditions and diagnoses. However, there are also objections of the video game industry and researchers who have studied the issue, and believe the scientific evidence for the classification is weak at best. We look into the definition of gaming disorder as well as ways to cope with game addiction with expert guests.
The Conversationalist
with
Dr. Doh Min-jung
- from You & Me Psychological & Consultation Services
- a lecturer at Soongsil University and SookMyung University
- a licensed psychologist in the New York State.
According to a government survey, 15% of Korean elementary and middle schoolers are addicted to either the internet or smartphones. Do you think teenagers are more vulnerable to addictions?
World Health Organization’s 11th International Classification of Diseases will include the condition "gaming disorder" from next year. Do you agree that game addiction should be classified as a mental disorder?
&
Tarik Jašarević
- spokesperson for the World Health Organization
Some researchers say that your organization’s been under enormous pressure from some Asian countries where prevalence of gaming disorder among young people is estimated to be 10-15% and because it takes them away from family and educational duties gaming is pathologized. Would you say this is true?
I understand you’re getting some backlash from the entertainment and gaming industry due to the recent decision. What do you think about their response?
Media Monster
Next week: Bookance (북캉스)
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Today’s theme: Espionage
In time for Mission: Impossible – Fallout release earlier in the week, we look into spies and espionage. Espionage or spying, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information without the permission of the holder of the information. Spies help agencies uncover secret information. Like many others, the field is facing more and more privatization and nowadays intelligence gathering is not only done by secret agents for governments but also by private detectives in many countries. We look into the history as well as morality issues associated with espionage with different experts from around the world.
The Conversationalist
with
Troy Whitford
government-licensed investigator in Australia
lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies at Charles Sturt University
You wrote that gathering political intelligence has been a significant part of the repertoire of government based intelligence agencies and law enforcement personnel, but in the 21st century, there has been an increase of interest from the private sector wanting to access to political intelligence. Why is this?
What’s your thought on the increased scrutiny and criticism towards government intelligence agencies and their wrongdoings, ranging from privacy invasion to political interference in many countries? Do you think private investigation can be an answer to this problem?
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Tim Lister
Terrorism analyst with CNN and Co-Author of a nonfiction book/autobiography of Mortern Storm, a.k.a Agent Storm, who is an Islamist-turned double agent from Denmark.
How common is it for intelligence agencies to recruit double-agents like him, or have source inside terrorist organizations?
Much of the recent terrorism activities seem to be focused on soft target terrors against civilians. For example, ISIS is claiming responsibility for many recent soft-target terrors in Europe. What do you think is the reason behind this?
Media Monster
Next week: Economic trade war -
Today’s theme: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The Korean government recently implemented a measure to drastically reduce work hours from 68 to 52 hours a week to help people find balance in work and life. Question is, is it really going to alleviate the five major physical or psychological illnesses among workers, including Chronic fatigue syndrome, along with VDT syndrome,mental or emotional disorder, depression and neurological gastrointestinal disorder. These illnesses are often associated with consequences of long work hours. Or do these have direct correlation with overworking hours? These are some of the questions we explore with expert guests under the theme of chronic fatigue.
The Conversationalist
with
Dr. Ronald Davis
- director of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Center at Stanford University
It seems like there are different degrees of the disease and there are people who manage to maintain normal life having it, but on the other hand you have people who are bed-ridden - unable to move or speak due to this disease. Your own son suffers from a serious case of the disease - can you tell us more about how this brought you closer to the issue and made you more passionate about solving the problem?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is very hard to diagnose let alone to cure. There are a number of challenges facing the patients and their families and friends, from finding the right doctor to facing some stereotypes. Can you tell us more about these challenges?
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Professor Wei Wang
- at School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University in Perth
- the Director of the Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory-Centre of Excellence on Clinical Epidemiology in China.
In many of the cases involving chronic disease, it’s hard for patients or even doctors pin down specific name of the disease or symptoms. Can you describe the challenge of having ambiguous health complaints?
How do we draw a line between Chronic Fatigue Disease and just regular fatigue?
Media Monster
Next week: Spys
(in time for Mission Impossible release) -
Today’s theme: Hidden Treasures
Earlier in the week, local police raided the offices of a company which claims to have found a treasure-laden shipwreck. The police have requested an international arrest warrant for the founder of a Singapore-based firm after launching an investigation into false claims of discovering a long-lost Russian “treasure ship.” We look into the truth of Dmitri Donskoi as well as treasure hunts throughout history all around the world with expert guests.
The Conversationalist
with
Jihoon Suk
- studying 20th century modern Korea history in Yonsei University.
Let’s get into the recent discovery of this Russian warship Dmitrii Donskoi that was sunken in 1905. Can you tell us more about the historical backdrop of the year 1905, and why countries with imperial ambitions would send out warships around the world?
Where does the rumor that this ship contained 5,500 boxes of gold bars and coins which would have a value today of around 150 trillion won or $130 billion come from? Is there any historical evidence?
&
Owen Jarus
- who writes about archeology and ancient relics on Business Insider, Scientific American and many more outlets and runs the webpage ‘Unreported Heritage News.’
Supposedly there would be many archeologists around the world who would be eager to be on the site to look into those treasures, but I understand the Egyptian government implemented a very strict rule limiting outsiders from the site. Can you tell us more about this?
We hear about ancient treasures or heritages being stolen or taken away from the original site to another part of the world. What’s the rule when it comes to who gets to claim those treasures? Is it the finders are keepers rule that generally applies?
Media Monster
Next week: Game Addiction -
Today’s theme: Economic Trade War
Tensions between the US, China and the rest of the world are escalating with the on-going trade war. The trade war was triggered by the US president Donald Trump last year when he proclaimed to impose tariffs on imported items in the US, or anything that threatens its national security. With expert guests, we look into the history and basic concepts of a trade war while getting latest updates of the US-China trade war, and assess how the situation will affect us here in Korea.
The Conversationalist
with
Professor Yang Junsok (양준석)
- Department of Economics, Catholic University of Korea
The history of trade war goes back to 19th century when there was an Opium War between the Qing dynasty and the British Empire, but can you tell us what trade war means and what it entails?
Trade deficit with China has been a major issue during the Obama administration and we could even say Trump took advantage of the situation with the Make America Great Again slogan. Can you give us a background of where this sentiment against China stems from in the US?
&
Tommy Wu
- Senior economist at Oxford Economics Hong Kong Ltd
Some experts say if such support plan is expanded to all the other industries that are impacted by Chinese goods will equal up to the value that US is hoping to gain from tariffs on Chinese goods, which means there will be no winner at the end from this trade war. What’s your opinion on that?
What kind of rifle effect will this trade war have on surrounding economies like South Korea and Hong Kong, which trade with both US and China?
Media Monster
Next week: Hidden Treasures -
Today’s theme: Korean BBQ
The weather is getting warmer and for many people, it’s the season to eat out – especially when the sun goes down. And one of the most popular menus for eating out here in Korea is Korean BBQ. Samgyeopsal(삼겹살, or pork belly) is perhaps the very first type of food that comes to people’s mind when people think of Korean BBQ. There are so many types of different cuisines that attract people and even more number of ways these ingredients are cooked. We look into the history and the culture of local BBQs with experts.
The Conversationalist
with
Daniel Gray
- tours and events specialist based in South Korea and founder of Seoul Eats
When eating at some of the barbeque restaurants, you will get some grease or smell on your clothes during the grilling. What are some of the measures these restaurants take to resolve such issue?
Some analyze that it’s only after the war that grilling meat became so widespread in Korea. Is there a point in this argument?
Pork belly became a popular match with soju in the 80s, making barbeque a quintessential social experience. As a food expert can you see why pork belly and soju are a good pair?
Media Monster
MAMAMOO’s Hwasa (화사) reveals a day of her life
on 나혼자 산다 (I Live Alone)
Next week: Chronic Fatigue
(in time for reduced working hours in Korea to 52 hours per week) -
Today’s theme: Elon Musk
ElonMusk (born June 28, 1971) is a South African-born American entrepreneur and businessman who founded X.com in 1999 (which later became PayPal), SpaceX in 2002 and Tesla Motors in 2003. Musk became a multimillionaire in his late 20s when he sold his start-up company, Zip2, to a division of Compaq Computers. Over the years Musk has accumulated wealth with several different projects. It's no secret Elon Musk is successful. We look into what are the secrets, however, are the things he's done to get to where he's at.
The Conversationalist
with
Mark Zastrow
- Science writer
Can you first elaborate on Elon Musk’s plan to send thousands of satellites into space to provide high-speed internet on earth?Do you think this plan is scientifically feasible?
It seems like Elon Musk isn’t the only one who’s venturing out into space - Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg plans to use solar-powered drones to provide internet access to billions of people in the dark, while Google owner company Alphabet aims to supply internet access from high-altitude balloons placed about 18 km up in the stratosphere. How does Elon’s plan stand out from all of these?
Media Monster
Next week: Korean BBQ -
Today’s theme: Immigration (refugees)
These days, we see more and more foreigners living in Korea. The number has doubled from a decade ago. These foreigners mainly include immigrants who left the countries, where they were born, to work in Korea or to marry Korean citizens. Other foreigners include refugees and asylum seekers, who fled from their domestic political or social chaos to find safe havens. Increasing inflows of foreigners are prompting many meaningful discussions in the Korean society, including the recent news of 500 Yemeni refugees arriving onJeju Island.
The Conversationalist
with
Darryl Coote
- journalist based in Jeju who’s covering the Yemeni refugee issue
“I understand the administration is granting special employment permits to Yemeni nationals, and even a job fair was held for those people seeking jobs on Jeju Island. Can you please shed some more light on the employment situation of the refugees there down on Jeju?
Has there been any notable public backlash in regards to the refugees taking local people’s jobs or signs of any security concerns arising?”
&
EsmailAlqublani
- former journalist from Yemen, who took refuge in Jeju recently
“The Korea Immigration Service granted the Yemeni refugees special employment permits so they can instantly start work. Is this providing practical help to you there on the island, or are there loopholes and difficulties in this you are still facing?
You yourself gave up getting a fishing job because of severe sea sickness - can you tell us more about your job seeking situation?”
Media Monster
Next week: Elon Musk -
Today’s theme: Football(in time for Russia World Cup 2018) The 2018 FIFA World Cup is the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is currently ongoing in Russia starting from June 14th and will end with the final match on July 15th. The country was awarded the hosting rights in December 2010. The final tournament involves 32 national teams. We look into the history, the culture and the quirks surrounding the tournament with expert guests. The ConversationalistwithPatrick Reevell- ABC News Moscow bureau reporterHow enthusiastic do you think the Russian people, and the nation is as a whole about this world cup? Can you feel any excitement over there?Russia is such a big country and the games are being held across 12 stadiums. The distance between the easternmost host city and the westernmost host city is over 1500 miles (2414 km). That’s about the same distance as Moscow to London. What kind of logistic issues might fans or teams alike experience as they traverse this vast land for their various games?&Yoo Jee-ho(유지호)- sports writer for Yonhap News AgencyDo we know anything about how the Korean team has been training so far - what kind of team building efforts were going on, how are they staying fit and ready for the games, and so on?South Korea is in Group F with Sweden, Mexico and Germany, those that are not huge football fans might wonder why this has been labeled one of the tournaments “group of death”. Can you tell us just how strong these teams are, and why even round 16 can be the toughest round for South Korea?&Tom Williams- Football writer and broadcaster, specializing in English and French football- author of Do You Speak Football?Do you think there will be a “home ground advantage” for Russia going forward?We’ve talked about key players in the Korean national team to keep an eye on. Can you come up with some names of players, regardless of country, that you have the highest expectations for in the World Cup?Media MonsterNext week: Immigration (refugees)
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Today’s theme: Dating through Media
(in time for Popularity of Heart Signal Season 2)
A dating reality show ‘Heart Signal,’ which aired last fall here in Korea, gained huge popularity. The program ignited the revival of other dating reality shows. And Season 2 of Heart Signal has been even more popular. These dating reality shows may have different concepts, but they have similar settings. Young participants, who are total strangers to each other, live together in certain places designated by producers for a certain period of time. And such programs are popular all over the world. We look into the reasons behind the success of these shows and how they reflect our society’s attitude toward romance.
The Conversationalist
with
Angela Smith
- Professor of Language and Culture at the University of Sunderland
You analyzed the success factors of Love Islands, and the first thing you pointed out was the format of the program that blends the genres of previously successful programs. Can you tell us more about the format of Love Island?
You also mentioned the thrill of live broadcast because they use the Big Brother-like camera system to capture real moments. Can you elaborate?
&
Dr Martin Graff
- from the Department of Psychology at the University of South Wales
- an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
- a Chartered Psychologist, researching online interaction romantic relationships.
- author of Love, Digitally: Where romantic relationships meet internet behavior
Micro-cheating is another buzzword that came along with the rise of online dating and social media. Can you explain to us what this means? Do you think people are more prone to do this when they use internet excessively?
We tend to believe that online profiles on social media services or online dating services are superficial and provide limited information. But in your article “What’s Behind a Dating Profile?”, you say that online profiles can tell more about people than we might actually think. Can you tell us why?
Media Monster
Next week: Football/soccer
(in time for 2018 Russia World Cup) -
Today’s theme: Free Speech
In recent months, there have been issues of free speech in many areas including schools, TV, online, etc. In the US, ABC cancelled the series as a swift response to some late-night racist tweeting by Roseanne Barr, the series’ eponymous main star. Barr had compared African-American woman Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, to an ape. And in the UK, Martin Meechan, often referred to by his YouTuber name Count Dankula, received his sentence for making a joke in a video. We look into the definition of free speech and hate speech and what we can do to protect our rights.
The Conversationalist
with
Professor Peter Paik
- from Yonsei Institute for Humanities
Even in modern states with democracy, expressions that can threaten the safety of the nation and the people are considered unlawful. What is the legal basis and examples of it?
How do you think online communities and social media are changing the debate over free speech?
&
Eric Heinze
- Professor of Law and Humanities at Queen Mary University of London, who recently wrote about campus free speech on The Conversation.
Just to get a recap, who are the prominent speakers recently banned from speaking on campuses and why?
I understand this no-platforming is part of “safe space” policies, intended to protect students from views and languages they find offensive, including discrimination. You wrote “the originally innocuous policy has come to signify something altogether more alarming” - can you give us more background of this policy and why you think it became alarming?
Media Monster
Next week: Dating through media -
Today’s theme: Plastic Surgery
With the increasing popularity on K-pop across the world, Korea is becoming one of the famous medical tourism destinations, attracting many tourists for medical treatments, including plastic surgeries. And it seems like more and more people are opening up their plastic surgery experiences. We look into the history of plastic surgery here in Korea with experts as well as some of the things you should consider going under the knife.
The Conversationalist
with
Park Ji-young (Jessica Park)
- student at Chung Ang University Graduate School Advanced Interpretation & Translation Program who previously worked at a plastic surgery clinic as a translator for foreign medical tourists
“There are criticisms that the industry has grown in size but not so much quality-wise. Do you think the patients at your hospital were provided with decent quality in terms of service?
Despite all these problems we have discussed, why do you think people still come to Korea for plastic surgery, when there are other options like Thailand?”
&
Professor John P DiMoia
- from Seoul National University, Department of Korean History
“I understand you take a historical approach on this matter, looking into the country’s modernization and nation-building process and how it incorporates bio-medicine technology. Can you tell us more about how biomedicine technology was used in the post-war era?
Your book, Reconstructing Bodies: Biomedicine, Health, and Nation-Building in South Korea Since 1945, explains the concept of ‘Medicine as a Form of “Ordinary Shopping”’. How has receiving medical care become like an ordinary shopping in South Korea, and do you think it’s a positive or negative thing?”
Media Monster
Next week: Free Speech -
Today’s theme: Avengers - Laat meer zien
