LKL’s fifth unscientific selection of people and events who have made 2010. Personality of the Year No question about this: Kim Yu-na. Olympic champion, 5th-highest earning female sportsperson globally, ambassador for everything from the G20 to the Catholic Church. I’m sure if she ran for president she’d get elected. Albums of the Year Four LKL … [Read More]
Month: December 2010
Trot music as propaganda against the North
Six months ago it was girl bands. Now Trot music is supposed to be S.Korea’s best propaganda weapon against the North http://bit.ly/gsmfZf # “Pop music can be a powerful psychological weapon targeting the oppressed in the North. We should immediately resume tannoy broadcasts in response to the North’s recent provocations,” declared a South Korean lawmaker. … [Read More]
Girl bands seem to be getting younger these days
Oh Lordy. Girl Story, Korea’s youngest-ever girl group steps into spotlight – 10 yrs old. Surely this is the end of the girl-band boom. http://bit.ly/gBQXrs # [Read More]
LKL Quiz of the Year 2010
Picture Quiz 1. Identify the main face in this picture. Why is he so emotional about being a miner? 2. Where is this picturesque scene, and why has it been in the news this year? 3. What has someone got very wrong, and what was the occasion? 4. What is this pastime, and why was … [Read More]
Unsuk Chin joins LPO team
London’s Philharmonia Orchestra announces Unsuk Chin as the new Artistic Director of the Music of Today series http://bit.ly/i8FOkJ # [Read More]
Bedevilled tops Tom G’s top 10 K-films of 2010
Tom Giammarco’s picks for the Best Korean Films of 2010: http://ow.ly/3uAiC (including one at #4.5 and five sharing 10th place: 1. Bedevilled 2. Poetry 3. I saw the Devil 4. Moss 4.5. Harmony 5. 71 into the fire 6. Cyrano Agency 7. Metamorphasis 8. Secret Reunion 9. Housemaid 10. Unjust, Midnight FM, Man From Nowhere, … [Read More]
In a poor year for Korean music, Broccoli You Too stands out
In an article that laments the state of the music industry and the poor standards of the K-pop audience, the Chosun Ilbo names Broccoli, You Too’s “Graduation” album of the year. Nah Youn Sun and Super Session are the best artists: http://bit.ly/fKAH9o # [Read More]
A review of the London Korean Year 2010
LKL tries to sum up the London Korean cultural year. Live music Possibly the most disappointing thing about 2010 has been the number of top-flight Korean musicians who have been passing through London but not stopping to do a sensible gig there. Biuret played at a private industry showcase before heading off to Southampton – … [Read More]
Conference report: Korean War study day at Asia House
The 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 has given rise to a number of commemorative events this year. In November it was the turn of BAKS to present their own event at Asia House – an all-day seminar entitled Reflections on War and Peace: Sixty Years after the Korean War. … [Read More]
W&Whale and 3rd Line Butterfly in Monocle podcasts
Monocle, the upscale magazine edited by style guru and FT Fast Lane columnist Tyler Brulé, has long taken an interest in musicians who are off the standard beaten track of Western commercial pop and rock. From Iceland to Japan, Brulé and his team usually have some interesting recommendations, and back in 2006 some of them … [Read More]
Choco Pies get celebrity endorsement
Choco Pies get celebrity endorsement at Man Utd http://bit.ly/ehYhvR #. Park Ji-sung is handing them out to Rio Ferdinand @mathmaster86. Tell KimKapsoo to send the sweets to me bro! I ran out of the Korean sweets that I got from Park Ji Sung! Me+my kids ate them — Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) December 11, 2010 [Read More]
Season’s Greetings
LKL is shutting down for a couple of days. Have a good break everyone, and thanks for visiting over the past year. [Read More]
Top K-films of the decade: an update
This article is an update of a previous list which is available here. The previous article has further commentary. And LKL’s own personal list is here. I always enjoy lists of people’s favourite films, books and CDs. You might not agree with everything they say, but the list will usually make you pick up something … [Read More]
LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Saharial
Saharial rounds up this year’s Critics’ Choice series with her own picks. It’s not been a great year for album buying for me. I’ve been doing more film and drama watching, and the constant injection of yet anther boy or girl group into the already over-packed market is frankly quite off-putting. The longer I spend … [Read More]
Korea Times garbles the Loch Ness Monster
“Britain is famous for a legend in the Ness, where a monster fish, Loch, has lived since 1,500 years ago”. Korea Times http://bit.ly/hF8D7c # [Read More]
British Council teaches English to NK defectors
British Council in Seoul sets example of helping NK defectors with English lessons – Korea Times. http://bit.ly/fk4wPX # “English language ability can be a real barrier for new-settlers who strive to access the higher education opportunities that South Korea has to offer,” said Ambassador Martin Uden. [Read More]