London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Royal Ancestors – the Live Tweets

  • 8 March: Just heard some good news. Time to start planning a trip to Seoul in early May #
  • 13 April: Really looking forward to my Korea trip later this month. Jongmyo rituals in Seoul and springtime herbs in Sancheong, Gyeongsannamdo. Perfect. Provided the volcanic ash lets up.#
  • 18 April: Will the 30 April Indieful RoK / LKL meetup in Seoul happen?
    • Anna 18 April: Growing more concerned over Eyjafjallajökull for every day. That ash cloud better be gone by Thursday.
    • Philip 18 April: I’m equally concerned. I’m almost resigned to not getting to Korea this time
    • Anna 19 April: Newspapers here are saying things’ll get back to normal on Thursday so I’m hopeful. Looking better for UK too, I hear.
    • Philip 19 April: Just heard there’s another eruption 🙁 Boston_Iceland REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
    • More amazing photos of the volcano at Boston Globe: The Big Picture.
  • 23 April: I’m a big fan of the National Museum of Contemporary Art. I’ll be sure to go to this expo if I have time next week. http://bit.ly/afagYd #. The 30th Anniversary of the Young Korean Artists runs until June 6 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in GwacheonOh Sang-gil, Untitled (Korea Times)
  • 24 April: Kang Ik-joong makes an art of the moon – feature on his first Seoul exhibition in 14 years. Joongang Ilbo http://bit.ly/d2sbC5 #. (Also in Korea Times). 1,392 Moon Jars in one exhibit. Kang is unveiling new works at the “Baram eu ro suk ee go ddang eu ro ee eur ji go” (Mixed by the Wind, Joined by the Soil) exhibition at Gallery Hyundai, Sagan-dong, downtown Seoul, till 2 May. Kang Ik-joong 1,392 Moon Jars (Korea Times)
  • 28 April: Posts on LKL may be a bit sporadic over the next few days:
    • I’ll be travelling in Korea on a fairly packed schedule, with little time to digest things in between the major sites.
    • From Jongmyo rituals in Seoul to tea and mountain herb festivals in Gyeongsangnamdo, I’m aiming, with the wonderful support of KOIS, to cover aspects of Korea that I’ve never experienced before.
    • Temple stays, hiking on Mount Jiri, folk villages and picturesque scenery, I’m going to be like a tour guide once I’m finished.
    • If I get the chance, I’m also aiming to meet one or two bloggers while I’m out there, including (volcanic ash permitting) Anna from Indieful RoK.Jongmyo Rituals and Tea-picking
    • In due course there will be some pictures, travel accounts and interview write-ups on LKL.
    • Although I’ll have my netbook with me, I don’t anticipate much writing-up time will be available while I’m on my travels.
  • 30 April: So nice to meet Anna of @indiefulrok tonight, and thanks to KOIS for their generous hosting. #
  • 1 May: A beautiful crisp spring morning in Seoul, and a free Weekend FT to go with my breakfast. What could be better? #
  • 1 May: Asia irked by IMF “leniency” to Greece, says FT. http://bit.ly/amTYXO #
  • 1 May: I’ve just been told that the place where I’m staying is where degree faker Shin Jeong-a had her affair. #
  • 1 May: I’ve also just been told that the place where I’m staying, along with all other serviced aparthotels in Korea, have been ruled illegal… #
  • 1 May: Looking forward to the Jongmyo rituals tomorrow. But how come every Korean says I’ll be bored stiff? Determined to prove them wrong. #
  • 1 May: The Secret Garden is Korea’s best-kept secret. Today was the 3rd time I’ve been to the Changdeokgung and failed to get in. One day… #
  • 1 May: But the Korean folk village in Youngin, Geonggido, was an unexpected delight. No time for the haunted house (dokkaebi jib) though. Next time #
  • 2 May: Tyler Brule’s current Fast Lane column could have been written by the marketing dept of Seoul World Design Capital 2010 http://bit.ly/acuxVM #
  • 2 May: Thanks to @suzyinseoul and @roboseyo for joining the chorus in trying to manage my expectations for the Jongmyo rites. I’m about to find out #Butlers
  • 2 May: The Jongmyo rituals are an amazing experience. Not boring at all, despite what everyone told me. #
  • 3 May: Getting ready for Buddha’s birthday, the lanterns at Jogyesa in Seoul are really colourful. #
  • 3 May: Not many tweets today. Too hung over from meeting Yi Chul-jin yesterday evening.
  • 4 May: Yay. I’ve just realised I can tweet by SMS from my iPhone in Korea. #
  • 4 May: A real privilege to meet legendary kayageum player Hwang Byunggi today. #
  • 4 May: Seoul’s a great place to meet people. Robert Neff, Indieful RoK, Mr Kwang and the Pajeon Princess all in one evening #
  • 4 May: My iPhone can record interviews. Why didn’t I remember that yesterday instead of scrawling inadequate notes? #
  • 4 May: It’s a national holiday tomorrow (Children’s Day). Beside me on the tube an office-worker has dutifully been shopping for last-minute gifts #
  • 5 May: On the road without any wireless, but the Hadong Tea Festival is really worth visiting. #
  • 5 May: At the Hadong Tea Festival you can roast, roll and dry the leaves. And sample green tea soju. Yum. #
  • 5 May: North Korean football film screening in Bermondsey this weekend. If I get wifi I’ll post details on LKL #
  • 6 May: At the Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival, I’ve drunk enough special concoctions to keep me healthy for life. #
  • 6 May: One of the strangest things I’ve done: the 108 prostrations with an acupuncture needle in my head #
  • 7 May: How did I end up centre stage in a hanbok fashion parade? Haven’t felt such an idiot in ages. #
  • 7 May: Drinking makgeolli with my companion from the Ministry of Culture Sports & Tourism. So I have to spell it the official way. #
  • 8 May: My last night in Seoul: a meetup with Charles and Yvonne from ktlit.com. Great end to a perfect week. #
  • 8 May: Almost perfect silence in my Hanok guest house. Just distant dogs barking. #

Jump to the diary’s index here.

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