Topics Discussed
Nami Island’s origins, General Nami and the false tomb, Korea’s domestic tourism boom, Winter Sonata and the early Korean Wave, K-drama tourism, artist Kang Woo-hyon’s transformation of the island, the Republic of Naminara, tourism marketing, Gapyeong attractions, Instagram tourism, overtourism, and whether Nami Island is actually worth visiting.
Useful Timestamps
00:00 Tourist Season summer replay introduction
00:31 Why are we talking about Nami Island?
02:01 Nami Island wasn’t originally an island
03:07 General Nami and the false tomb
04:22 The Bukhangang “land of tourist traps”
05:28 Winter Sonata changes everything
06:43 How Winter Sonata helped launch the Korean Wave
07:12 K-dramas as tourism marketing
08:17 The artist who reinvented Nami Island
~12:00 The Republic of Naminara and its tourism gimmicks
~18:00 What Nami Island is actually like to visit
~21:00 Other Gapyeong tourist attractions
25:40 Who should actually visit Nami Island?
26:37 The contradiction of “eco-tourism” and mass tourism
27:10 Instagram, influencers, and manufactured destinations
28:01 Closing and Dark Side of Seoul tours
29:34 Final travel advice
Mentioned During the Episode
Nami Island / Republic of Naminara, Winter Sonata, Bae Yong-joon, Choi Ji-woo, Korean Tourism Organization, Bukhangang, Cheongpyeong Dam, General Nami, Gapyeong, Petite France, K-drama filming locations, the Korean Wave, Korean domestic tourism, Instagram tourism, Dark Side of Seoul tours, and ZenKimchi Experiences.
Links
Dark Side of Seoul:
darksideofseoul.com
ZenKimchi Experiences:
zenkimchi.com
YouTube:
Dark Side of Seoul on YouTube
Patreon:
Dark Side of Seoul Patreon
About The Dark Side of Seoul
The Dark Side of Seoul explores the strange, hidden, and occasionally disturbing sides of Korean history, folklore, culture, crime, and travel. Hosted by Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show draws on decades of experience living, researching, writing, and guiding in Korea.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Popular Podcasts
Dolly Parton's America
In this intensely divided moment, one of the few things everyone still seems to agree on is Dolly Parton—but why? That simple question leads to a deeply personal, historical, and musical rethinking of one of America’s great icons. Join us for a 9-episode journey into the Dollyverse. Hosted by Jad Abumrad. Produced and reported by Shima Oliaee. Dolly Parton’s America is a production from OSM Audio and WNYC Studios.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com