Flight of Fancy podcast: Join the K Wave - it's time to go to South Korea

Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. South Korea is a mix of cutting-edge and traditional.Credit: iStock

I thought I'd set myself a challenge for this episode. I thought I'd try to get through 40 or so minutes of talking about South Korea without once mentioning Gangnam Style.

But the truth is you can't talk about this amazing country, this fascinating country, this traditional and historic country, without mentioning K-pop, and in particular without mentioning Park Jae-Sang, or PSY, or Psy, who brought the world one of the most famous songs of all time, and who redefined how we think about South Korea.

Because yeah, this is a traditional and historic country. But it's also ultra-modern and edgy, and a pop-culture juggernaut. South Korea is the home of K-pop, but also K-hip hop, K-punk, K-rock and so much more. It's also a country that produces world-leading cinema, trend-setting fashion, and cult TV shows like Squid Game that have swept the globe. Plus, it's the place to go if you want fried chicken and beer.

South Korea is the country of the moment, and even more excitingly, it is about to open its doors to foreign tourists for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. And on this episode of Flight of Fancy we're going to tell you why you need to get there.