There was no hope of applying the Chatham House rule at yesterday’s talk by HE Dr Jun Kwang-woo, chairman of Korea’s Financial Services Commission. With two TV cameras and numerous digital recorders on show, this meeting was firmly on the record. Reflecting the more formal nature of this meeting, Dr Jun spoke from a prepared … [Read More]
Month: May 2008
Chosun Ilbo border-crosser documentary footage shown on BBC
Newsnight last night screened a 17 minute extract from the Chosun’s documentary on North Korean border crossers in Northern China. A very brief extract, together with the BBC reporter’s write-up, can be found on the BBC website here. The Chosun Ilbo website says that there will be more extended versions of the footage screening on … [Read More]
Book now for some outrageously fun evenings
A regular feature of the summer evenings is the SOAS world music summer school. Two years ago I went along to the Samulnori summer school run by the excellent Dulsori and had a ball. Last year, LKL woman of the year 2006 Rowan Pease went along with her daughter and had a whale of a … [Read More]
Top banking watchdog in town. You too can quiz him
Dr Jun Kwang Woo, the Chairman of the Korean Financial Services Commission, is in Paris and London this week for a range of meetings, including the UK finance minister and the FSA. He will also be speaking to the Korea Discussion Group at Chatham House on Friday afternoon at 4pm. His subject is Korea’s responses … [Read More]
Recycled jeans raise $232,000
Records were tumbling at the Christie’s auction of contemporary Asian art in Hong Kong on 24 May. As was to be expected, most attention (and cash) was focused on Chinese artists, but auction records were also set for individual artists from Indonesia, India and South Korea. One of the Korean artists featured was Choi So-young … [Read More]
LKL seeks Cambridge correspondent
This Saturday (May 31) I’m faced with the choice between (a) a jaunt to Cambridge for a fascinating half-day conference on how history is portrayed in current Asian media; and (b) a second-rate monster movie in London. Guess where my priorities lie. So if anyone wants to volunteer to go along to the conference and … [Read More]
Im Sang Soo faces London grilling
Korean film director Im Sang Soo is participating in two Q&A sessions this week: Friday at the KCC and Saturday at the ICA, the latter in conjunction with the screening of The President’s Last Bang. It has been said that Im Sang Soo is practically the only director now making films that take a long … [Read More]
An evening with immigration lawyers Laura Devine
Another event from the Anglo Korean Society’s packed programme: ANGLO -KOREAN SOCIETY JOINT PRESIDENTS H.E. The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Dr Cho Yoon-Je Dr Robert Hawley CBE CHAIRMAN Sir Stephen Brown LAURA DEVINE (Immigration Solicitor) Thursday 5 June 2008 6.30 pm Laura Devine Solicitors 11 OLD JEWRY LONDON EC2R 8DU (off Poultry, nearest … [Read More]
Dr Hyun-key Kim Hogarth: how to be an anthropologist of your own culture
Known to her neighbours in Kent as Kim Hogarth, Hyun-key left Korea in 1968 before she’d even learned to cook Korean food. Her CV says ‘Nationality: British’. But it’s her academic work on Korean shamanism that keeps her busy giving papers and publishing books. Jennifer Barclay met the social anthropologist in London to find out … [Read More]
Still vacancies for KCC Map show educational programme
As mentioned in my notice of the KCC’s fascinating map exhibition, there’s a Saturday afternoon educational event aimed at children aged 7 – 13. There are still some places available for the event on June 7th. Details are in the attached document. [Read More]
Mad Cows: President Lee’s apology
The following is the full text of President Lee Myung-bak’s statement in a live TV broadcast at Cheong Wa Dae on 22 May to address the resumption of U.S. beef imports and ratification of the Korea-U.S. FTA. Courtesy of the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOIS). For those who haven’t been following the Mad Cow … [Read More]
Homeless Penguins come to town
The theme of this year’s New Malden Arts Festival is the quirky “Homeless Penguins Come to Town”. The homeless penguins parade through New Malden on 14 June is designed to raise awareness of their natural habitat being destroyed by global warming. The festival itself runs from 2 – 22 June. Despite its location, and despite … [Read More]
Tiger Festival comes to London and Brighton
Three Korean films are coming to London and Brighton as part of the Tiger Far East Film Festival (1) The controversial CGI monster pic D-War (Shim Hyung-rye, 심형래, 2007) Synopsis (from KOFIC): A thousand years ago, in a little village on the Korean peninsula, a child of destiny is born with a Youijoo (a magic … [Read More]
The versatile Yoon Band plays London
Saharial introduces the talents of the Yoon Band, which will be performing in Trafalgar Square on 8 June When I heard that the Yoon Band was coming to the UK for two gigs in June, I was almost jumping round my room with excitement. That my room is rather small and I suffered a few … [Read More]
Sunset for the Sunshine Policy?
The inaugural Global Korea Lecture will be held on Wednesday 28 May at the KCC at 6:30pm The lecture will be on the subject: South and North Korea : Sunset for the Sunshine Policy? and will be given by ‘Britain’s leading Korea watcher’ Aidan Foster-Carter. Dr. Kwang Ho Chun will chair. Aidan Foster-Carter has followed … [Read More]
Trafalgar Square Dano Festival 2008: initial details
DANO Korea Summer Festival Trafalgar Square Sunday 8 June 2008 1pm to 7pm FREE EVENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Trafalgar Square will be transformed into a mini Korea for the annual DANO celebrations on Sunday 8 June. The second DANO Korea Summer Festival provides a fascinating insight into the culture and customs of Korea featuring … [Read More]