California Love: K-Pop Dreaming

Episodes

Listen 4:44

K-pop disrupted pop culture in South Korea in the early 1990s and quickly the new and electrifying sound found fans across the world.

One of those fans was a kid growing up thousands of miles away in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

In K-Pop Dreaming, the second season of the acclaimed California Love podcast, host and writer Vivian Yoon takes listeners on a journey to learn about the history behind the music that had defined her childhood.

From an occupied Korea in the 1930s and a small hip-hop club in 1980s Seoul to the 1992 LA Uprising and the music’s booming popularity today, the surprising story of K-pop is juxtaposed against Vivian’s own coming of age as a second-generation immigrant, struggling to fit in and come to terms with her own identity.

The series premieres on February 23, 2023.

Episode Trailer

Introducing California Love: K-Pop Dreaming, from LAist Studios

K-pop disrupted pop culture in South Korea in the early 1990s and quickly the new and electrifying sound found fans across the world.

One of those fans was a kid growing up thousands of miles away in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

In K-Pop Dreaming, the second season of the acclaimed California Love podcast, host and writer Vivian Yoon takes listeners on a journey to learn about the history behind the music that had defined her childhood.

From an occupied Korea in the 1930s and a small hip-hop club in 1980s Seoul to the 1992 LA Uprising and the music’s booming popularity today, the surprising story of K-pop is juxtaposed against Vivian’s own coming of age as a second-generation immigrant, struggling to fit in and come to terms with her own identity.

The series premieres on February 23, 2023.
Listen 17:55

Growing up in Koreatown during the 90s and 2000s, host Vivian Yoon was an emo-listening teenager who embraced American pop culture. At least that’s what it seemed from the outside. But at home, by herself, what she listened to was K-Pop. How Vivian's hidden love for the music is propelling her to explore the connections between K-Pop and her hometown.

(Originally published February 23, 2023)

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/Dreaming

This episode is brought to you by your local Kia dealers. Visit kia.com
to discover movement that inspires.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Episode 1

K-Pop Dreaming - Secret Fan

Growing up in Koreatown during the 90s and 2000s, host Vivian Yoon was an emo-listening teenager who embraced American pop culture. At least that’s what it seemed from the outside. But at home, by herself, what she listened to was K-Pop. How Vivian's hidden love for the music is propelling her to explore the connections between K-Pop and her hometown.

(Originally published February 23, 2023)

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/Dreaming

This episode is brought to you by your local Kia dealers. Visit kia.com
to discover movement that inspires.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Listen 43:35

This week, the K-Pop Dreaming team is bringing you a special episode from our friends at, “Shoes Off: A Sexy Asian Podcast” from the public radio station, WBEZ. It's a podcast that celebrates badass Asians who are making a mark on pop culture and entertainment.

In this episode stand-up comic, Atsuko Okatsuka, is taking the world by storm with her first HBO special, The Intruder, and her viral Drop Challenge on TikTok. She talks about how she learned English by watching Scooby-Doo, what it means to be named Margaret Cho’s comedy heir, and how she took her mom and grandma everywhere — including to her honeymoon.

Episode 12

Shoes Off: Atsuko Okatsuka Wants Everyone To Feel Sexy

This week, the K-Pop Dreaming team is bringing you a special episode from our friends at, “Shoes Off: A Sexy Asian Podcast” from the public radio station, WBEZ. It's a podcast that celebrates badass Asians who are making a mark on pop culture and entertainment.

In this episode stand-up comic, Atsuko Okatsuka, is taking the world by storm with her first HBO special, The Intruder, and her viral Drop Challenge on TikTok. She talks about how she learned English by watching Scooby-Doo, what it means to be named Margaret Cho’s comedy heir, and how she took her mom and grandma everywhere — including to her honeymoon.
Listen 35:07

The popularity of Korean beauty products has spread globally, just like K-Pop. And we thought you might enjoy this conversation on the origins and rise of K-Beauty -- not only as an industry, but as a new beauty standard.

The conversation was part of a live event tied to the launch of the new book, "Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital," between the book’s author Elise Hu and NPR’s All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang. You can also watch this conversation here: https://laist.com/events/elise-hu-flawless

To buy Elise Hu's book, visit https://northfigbookshop.com/

((originally published June 9, 2023))

To view and attend future LAist events, visit: https://laist.com/events/

Episode 13

K-Pop Dreaming - Bonus #4: K-Beauty

The popularity of Korean beauty products has spread globally, just like K-Pop. And we thought you might enjoy this conversation on the origins and rise of K-Beauty -- not only as an industry, but as a new beauty standard.

The conversation was part of a live event tied to the launch of the new book, "Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital," between the book’s author Elise Hu and NPR’s All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang. You can also watch this conversation here: https://laist.com/events/elise-hu-flawless

To buy Elise Hu's book, visit https://northfigbookshop.com/

((originally published June 9, 2023))

To view and attend future LAist events, visit: https://laist.com/events/

Vivian Yoon, Writer & Host
Fiona Ng, Show Creator & Senior Producer
James Chow, Associate Producer
Sophia Paliza-Carre, Editor
Jens Campbell, Intern
Parker McDaniels, Former Audio Engineer
Antonia Cereijido, Executive Producer
Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vice President of LAist Studios

Episodes

Listen 11:40

Apple

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Host Walter Thompson-Hernández returns home to L.A. and reflects on how much the city has changed since he was a child.

Episode 1

Prologue

Host Walter Thompson-Hernández returns home to L.A. and reflects on how much the city has changed since he was a child.
Listen 39:15

Apple

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Walter was just eleven years old when he was admitted to L.A.'s infamous Scared Straight program for graffiti related crimes. In this episode, Walter, through a chance encounter, checks-in with his friend who went through the program with him, their anti-tagging arch-nemesis, and how they have turned out after all these years.

Episode 2

Scared Straight

Walter was just eleven years old when he was admitted to L.A.'s infamous Scared Straight program for graffiti related crimes. In this episode, Walter, through a chance encounter, checks-in with his friend who went through the program with him, their anti-tagging arch-nemesis, and how they have turned out after all these years.

Listen 34:40

Apple

Spotify

A story about a wild party line that many Los Angeles’ teenagers used to create a fantasy world.

Episode 3

P Line

A story about a wild party line that many Los Angeles’ teenagers used to create a fantasy world.
Listen 36:18

Apple

Spotify

Walter dives deep on what Kobe meant to him in his life and how the icon’s death spurred a collective mourning throughout the city.

Episode 4

Kobe

Walter dives deep on what Kobe meant to him in his life and how the icon’s death spurred a collective mourning throughout the city.
Listen 38:23

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A first-parrot perspective into legends and myths of how L.A. became home to the world’s largest population of green parrots.

Episode 5

Parrots: A Parable

A first-parrot perspective into legends and myths of how L.A. became home to the world’s largest population of green parrots.
Listen 39:09

Apple

Spotify

There’s a horse ranch in the heart of Compton that may hold the answers for salvation and redemption for the city’s black cowboys.

Episode 6

Compton Cowboys

There’s a horse ranch in the heart of Compton that may hold the answers for salvation and redemption for the city’s black cowboys.
Listen 35:09

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Eleuteria “Ellie” Hernández moved to Los Angeles from a small town in Mexico when she was 14 and fell in love with the city. In this episode, Walter sits down with Ellie, his mother, to understand her relationship to L.A. and how it shaped his own.

Episode 7

Ellie

Eleuteria “Ellie” Hernández moved to Los Angeles from a small town in Mexico when she was 14 and fell in love with the city. In this episode, Walter sits down with Ellie, his mother, to understand her relationship to L.A. and how it shaped his own.
Listen 12:07

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We close the series with a meditation on how 28 years after the 1992 Riots, for many in L.A., things feel exactly the same.

Episode 8

Epilogue

We close the series with a meditation on how 28 years after the 1992 Riots, for many in L.A., things feel exactly the same.
Episode 9

Bonus: Truth Be Told and California Love's Walter Thompson-Hernández

In this bonus episode, KQED’s Truth Be Told host Tonya Mosley talks with Walter Thompson-Hernández about the making of California Love, growing up in Los Angeles, and the importance of trusting yourself. Plus, in the spirit of Truth Be Told, Walter answers a round of audience questions. The audio is prerecorded from an Instagram Live event from August 20, 2020.