Apologies for the late delivery today!
It seems the internet was having a rough morning. I use Descript to edit the podcast (which I highly recommend as it lets you edit audio just like a document!), but right as I was finalizing the episode, a Cloudflare outage hit.
I lost some work and got locked out. To make matters worse, Substack was also throwing network errors! It was a perfect storm of tech glitches that pushed everything back. Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll aim to get things done a bit earlier next time to avoid these tech surprises!
You might notice that today’s episode is a little longer—and hopefully richer—than usual. I’ve added some music to set the mood, and I’ve shared more personal perspectives that I didn’t include in the written newsletter.
Specifically, I talk about the history of the Minbangwi (Civil Defense Corps) and what those constant drills actually felt like on the ground.
Even if you already read last Thursday’s post, I think you’ll find this audio version offers a fresh perspective. Think of this as the “director’s cut” of the story.
I also tried out a new recording environment this week. How does the audio sound to you? Let me know if you notice a difference!
In this episode:
We explore the physical “hardware” of South Korea’s Garrison State. Following the 1968 Blue House Raid, how did the government turn every man into a soldier, every school into a military training ground, and every citizen into a tracked number? From the Yebigun to the Gyoryeon drills, we look at how emergency became everyday life.
📝 Read the original full essay here
🎨 See Jihyun’s graphic novel about this era here
Thanks so much for listening! I’ll be back on Thursday with another story to help you understand Korea even better.
Best,
Jiwon
