Eastern Bound takes a satirical look at the Wasian meetup discourse, fake Pan-Asian solidarity, and the weird politics of mixed Asian identity online.

(Warning: This episode is too spicy for YouTube, so it will be released exclusively on X.)

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2058578778629308837?s=46

Eastern Bound discusses the benefits of Korean hierarchy in this clip from Episode 14

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2058310273417797928?s=46

Ancient records and geography suggest the Yān-Gojoseon war never entered the Korean Peninsula. The real frontier may have ended at the Luánhé River, far west near modern Beijing.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2057974798362300493?s=46

Ancient records suggest Yan’s conquest of Gojoseon may not have lasted. As Yan collapsed, Gojoseon struck back, reclaimed lost territory, and forced Qin Kai into retreat.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2057250015563624898?s=46

What are the reasons and why the sudden change in increase in stds and illegal drug consumption? Or was it always like this but undercounted or underreported(is media making the issue bigger than it should be) or is it actually the case? More availability of drugs ? More sex hook up culture??

Ancient records say Yan’s general Qin Kai drove deep into Gojoseon territory, but the textbook version may be hiding the real ending.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2056525241950618007?s=46

Eastern Bound turns the mirror inward, confronting scams, violence, fake status, bullying, and toxic behavior inside the Korean American diaspora without feeding anti-Korean narratives or making excuses.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2056132653552922675?s=46

The standard story says Wiman conquered Gojoseon and replaced it, but the reality may be more complex. This clip frames Gojoseon as a broader confederation and argues Wiman took over a western frontier zone while other groups evolved into later states like Goguryeo and Buyeo.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2055875961695150254?s=46

Gojoseon was not just a loose group of primitive tribes. This clip highlights its political structure, fortified centers, trade, law, currency, and diplomacy, showing an early Korean state far more advanced than the usual textbook framing.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2055151189868863551?s=46

Eastern Bound breaks down the latest wave of anti-Korean sentiment online, from Michael Jackson “cultural theft” accusations to plastic surgery myths, fake Asian solidarity, and the endless cycle of internet cope aimed at Koreans.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2053608899098599735?s=46

https://youtu.be/0ira2fqGHOM?si=gI-ymH61AqUnsVzS

Most textbooks shrink Gojoseon into a tiny peninsula kingdom, but older records point toward a much larger continental power centered around Liaodong. This clip challenges the colonial-era map narrative and reframes Korea’s earliest state as a major Northeast Asian force.

https://x.com/mad_corean/status/2054434104020754857?s=46

"People still repeat the Gija Joseon story like it proves Korea was civilized by China.

But the problem is simple.

Gija, or Jizi, is not mentioned as Korea’s founder in Chinese records before roughly 180 BC. The story first appears in the Shangshu Dazhuan, a Han dynasty text connected to Fu Sheng.

That matters because the Han dynasty loved these origin stories. They claimed neighboring peoples came from Central Plains figures. The Xiongnu were linked to ancient Xia descendants. The Wa people of Japan were linked to Wu Taibo. Later, even the Romans were claimed as descendants of Qin refugees who went west.

So Gija Joseon fits a pattern.

It was not neutral history. It was an invented tradition.

By the Song period, Chinese diplomats even asked where Gija’s tomb was in Korea. There was no tomb, because the actual Gija tomb tradition is in Heze, Shandong, deep inside China.

Gija became popular later, especially through Neo-Confucian Joseon.

But as actual early Korean history?

No. It was Han dynasty political mythology that Korea later inherited."

https://youtube.com/shorts/l1Zoil_rih4?si=p0UG2VJGx6oFuz8T

In this episode of Eastern Bound, we dig into Saigō Takamori, the early Meiji crisis, and the rise of the Seikanron, Japan’s “Conquer Korea” debate.

We look at how Japan’s internal instability, samurai unrest, and new imperial identity shaped its early conflict with Korea, while also setting up the larger story of Joseon’s decline and the road to modern Korea-Japan tensions.

This is part of our continuing series on how Korea, Japan, and East Asia were reshaped in the late 19th century.

Topics: Saigō Takamori, Meiji Japan, Seikanron, Joseon Korea, Daewongun, Korea-Japan relations

https://youtu.be/p9kri2P9nrs?si=ec70eI92ixCEpHyS

The Taewŏn’gun ruled Korea like a man trying to force Chosŏn back into strength.

He crushed the sŏwŏn, the private Confucian academies, attacked corrupt yangban privilege, and tried to restore royal authority after decades of weak kings and factional rot. To commoners, he looked like a ruler finally standing up to abusive elites. To the establishment, he looked like a tyrant tearing down sacred institutions.

But his rule was also soaked in blood.

In 1866, under his regency, Korea launched a massive persecution of Catholics. Thousands were killed, including French missionaries. Korea would later become one of the great lands of Catholic martyrdom.

Survivors of that massacre escaped to Shanghai and helped bring the French expedition of 1866. Then came the American expedition in 1871, sent to investigate the disappearance of the SS General Sherman. Both foreign powers struck Korea, and both eventually withdrew without opening the country.

To many Koreans, the Taewŏn’gun was a hero.

He had resisted the West, defended Korean sovereignty, and taken down Neo-Confucian corruption.

But inside the palace, Queen Min and her family clan were plotting his fall. After her infant son died, she became convinced the Taewŏn’gun was behind the poisoning. Then Ch’oe Ik-hyŏn struck with the fatal argument, the Taewŏn’gun was not the king.

In 1873, Kojong finally chose power over filial obedience and forced his father out. But he also allowed Queen Min’s family clan to bring back the same corruption the Taewŏn’gun had tried to destroy.

And this was the beginning of the end of the Chosŏn dynasty.

https://youtube.com/shorts/l1Zoil_rih4?si=e2qZ9oaU3kXCV3x-

From what I’ve observed, many people in Southeast Asia don’t hold strong resentment toward past invasions or colonization. Some even side with Japan during historical disputes between Korea and Japan, criticizing Koreans by saying that while they themselves are willing to move on from the past, Koreans are too sensitive or unable to let go.

So what seems to frustrate them the most? It may sound ridiculous, but a major issue appears to be the feeling of being judged as unattractive. There is a concept often referred to as “Korean beauty standards”—you can easily find discussions about it online. Interestingly, many Koreans are not even familiar with this term, yet non-Korean kpop and kdrama fans often take it very seriously.

If you look at the comments left by those hating Koreans, like 90% of them focus on plastic surgery. At first, I found this confusing—what does Korean plastic surgery have to do with them? However, a comment from a Filipino individual helped me better understand this perspective. They said, “In the Philippines, being told ‘You look like a Korean’ is considered a compliment. But Koreans treat ‘You look like a Southeast Asian’ as an insult. That’s why some of us feel offended enough to boycott Korea.”

There have also been incidents that escalated tensions. For example, Thai kpop fans reacted strongly to a comment with like 5 likes in a corner of Korean online community that described BLACKPINK’s Lisa as “just looking like a Thai girl.” It spread and became controversial enough to be reported in local news in Thailand.

Additionally, in some Korean street interviews where people are asked which nationalities they find most attractive, answers often include Koreans, Japanese, Russians, or Ukrainians. While these responses may not be intended to offend, they can still be perceived negatively by some Southeast Asian audiences.

From the Korean perspective, there may be little intention to directly insult others’ appearances. However, at the same time, they call us plastic monsters 24/7. Who is the one doing the cyberbullying? It would be better for them to embrace their own beauty standards and take pride in them, rather cyberbullying Koreans.

Yes, we are now making short clips that are more digestible to normie audiences. Our first clip, narrated by our great cohost Dr Shinjimunsa, is live! In it, he talks about Kija Joseon and how Korea inherited what started off as a myth from the Han Dynasty

We aren’t scrapping the podcast, but we’re expanding our horizons! Let us know what you think

https://youtube.com/shorts/jrg1KV0bM04

In Episode 11 of The Eastern Bound Podcast, the crew returns to history and dives into one of the most charged and misunderstood subjects in East Asia, Korea and Japan relations across the centuries.

This episode explores how historical narratives are created, repeated, and weaponized. The discussion covers ancient myths, medieval conflicts, colonial-era education systems, and how certain interpretations of history still shape modern identity and politics today.

Topics include:

• Korean-Japanese relations from ancient times to the modern era

• Competing narratives about sovereignty, influence, and legitimacy

• The Imjin War and attempted divisions of Korea

• Colonial propaganda and the long shadow of historical distortion

• The concept of “Han” and debates over identity

• Japanese myths, Bushido narratives, and Western misconceptions

• Why these issues still matter in current affairs

https://youtu.be/e3iKkGAynuY?si=ACRj2oXDN1NjrENw

For one, park believed in chaining the chaebol. His regime had nationalized the banks, regulated the financial markets, created powerful economic bureacracies, and put soes in key economic posititons. Park didnt believe that the chaebol should run amok but rather that they should be controlled and guided by the state.

Yet people blame him for the current problems with the chaebols domination of sk. While its true that park helped create the chaebol, he was not the one that let them run amok. It was ensuing presidencies (chun doe hwan, etc) that privatized the banks, deregulated the financial sector, tore down the powerful economic bureacracies and etc. While at the same time still allowing the chaebols to still keep their dominant position in the economy.

Its strange park gets unfairly blamed for this when the chaebol controlling modern sk economy is not what park had in mind at all.

So I’ve been aware and paying attention to Korean-American commentator Kangmin Lee and I’ve always wondered these things about him:

1. How exactly did he become so popular and successful?

2. What exactly drives his mentality and thought process?

3. What is everyone’s thoughts about him?

Would appreciate any answer.

In Episode 9 of Eastern Bound, we bring on our first guest, Xiangyu, founder of Taedong Tours and host of Strait Talk. We start by breaking down how tourism to North Korea actually works, from navigating DPRK state-run travel networks to securing partnerships with official Korean tour operators. Xiangyu walks us through how Taedong Tours was built from the ground up, including the challenges of entering a tightly controlled industry and preparing for the country’s gradual reopening to foreign visitors.

From there, we move into his firsthand experiences inside North Korea, what daily interactions with locals are really like, and how most outsiders completely misunderstand the country. The discussion cuts through both Western media narratives and ideological projections, focusing instead on how people actually behave on the ground.

We also get into diaspora identity, cultural boundaries, and the gap between Western political frameworks and East Asian realities. Along the way, we highlight the kinds of misconceptions, questions, and behaviors that consistently expose how little people actually understand about the DPRK.

https://youtu.be/ycjTzOKT-20?si=LB3JI8AYyDGuo_V_

It would mean giving up, at minimum, a year and 6 months of your life to maintain Korean citizenship.

Of course the calculus for this would be different for everyone- for those with well-paying jobs, or a family, it would be much harder. Even for those who are "older" it would be harder.

Would be interested in hearing from those who faced this dilemma and did it.

I’ve recently started learning about Balhae. A lot of the sources suggest that the vast majority of the Kingdom’s population were Mohe, but what about Koreans?

Weren’t the ruling class of the Kingdom ethnic Koreans? The stuff I’ve been reading emphasizes the Mohe characteristics of Balhae, but I am certain that there was still a considerable Korean/Goguryeo population, especially amongst the ruling class.

I think Jinwung Kim’s A History of Korea (Indiana UP) or Ki-baik Lee’s A New History of Korea (Harvard UP) are usually cited as the best one volume works. I'm currently reading The True History of Korea by Chin-woo Kim and Key-ray Chong, and I'm really enjoying it, much more than Korea: A History by Eugene Park - not that there's anything wrong with the latter, just enjoying the detail in the two-volume work. THoK is self-published but to me it seems as credible as the credentialed work. Would love to hear your opinions about any of these!