London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Black Girl from Pyongyang: paperback launch event

Come along to Richmond Library on 16 January for the launch of the paperback release of Black Girl from Pyongyang by author Monica Macias and co-writer, Becky Branford. This remarkable memoir details the extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung. Join Monica and her … [Read More]

Report on 9th Enlarged Plenum of 8th WPK Central Committee

Sourced from KCNA.KP. The overseas North Koreans provided additional analysis on Twitter. Pyongyang, December 31 (KCNA): The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), the great guide of our country and people, has defended the eternal vitality of socialism, the ideal and future of mankind, and vigorously led its steady development, while confirming the validity of the … [Read More]

Beyond Utopia – theatrical release

A suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she … [Read More]

Book Talk – Black Girl from Pyongyang

Join author Monica Macias as she explores extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung in conversation with Jim Hoare. In 1979, aged only seven, Monica Macias was sent from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea by her father, the … [Read More]

Korean Peninsula Peace Forum

Leading authorities from the academic and practitioner communities in the UK will discuss the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula and the prospects for the easing of tension and return to negotiations. Looking at the strategy of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Forum will first consider the complementarity between goals of promoting human … [Read More]

Healing Hearts: The stories and voices of North Korean refugees

Three North Korean refugees will share their experiences in North and South Korea through different voices. Co-founder of Freedom Speakers International will share his experiences meeting with more than 500 North Koreans refugees and why North Korean refugees speak out. After the forum, attendees will also be invited to watch “You Don’t Know,” a documentary … [Read More]

North Korean human rights abuses and security concerns: A parallel challenge

The Centre for Geopolitics and Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge are co-hosting a special talk by Ambassador Shin-wha Lee (ROK Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights). Talk Summary: The nuclear program and human rights abuses in North Korea are interconnected, yet often treated separately. However, … [Read More]

North Korea: Jihyun Park and Lindsey Miller in conversation

Join us with Jihyun Park and Lindsey Miller who have joined forces for this fascinating evening of both gripping and poignant discussion about their own experiences in North Korea and talking about their books The Hard Road Out: One Womans Escape from North Korea and North Korea: Like Nowhere Else. North Korea is an open-air prison from which … [Read More]

SOAS conference: The Real North Korea: in its Multiplicity of Origins, Dynamics, and Futures

Speakers: Andrei Lankov, Park Hyung-jung, Tatiana Gabroussenko, Balazs Szalontai, Kevin Gray, Charlotte Webb, Camilo Aguirre, Peter Ward This special one-day symposium on North Korea’s history, society and economy will be co-hosted by the SOAS Centre of Korean Studies and the AKS Korean Studies Laboratory: ‘The Real North Korea’. It will be an opportunity to hear … [Read More]

Science Engagement with the DPRK: The Mount Paektu Research Centre

BKS members are invited to this talk and drinks reception. Doors open 18.15, Talk and discussion: 18.30, Drinks reception: 19.30 Opening and closing remarks Professor Sir Martyn Poliako FRS, University of Nottingham Martin Uden, Chair, British Korean Society The Mount Paektu Research Centre Professor James Hammond, Birkbeck, University of London Dr Amy Donovan, University of Cambridge … [Read More]

Report on 4th Plenary Meeting of 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea

The end-of-year report from the Party plenary meeting, sourced from Rodong Sinmun and knca.kp. NKNews has alternative takes on the report: “North Korea vows military buildup due to ‘destabilizing’ situation on peninsula” and also “Plenum’s agriculture focus suggests dire food shortages in North Korea” Let Us Strive for Our Great State’s Prosperity and Development and … [Read More]

Korean Peninsula Peace Forum 2021

King’s London announces the 2021 Korea Peace Forum, organised in collaboration with SOAS atn the ROK Embassy Korean Peninsula Peace Forum 2021 Wednesday 17 November 2021, 14:30 Bush House, 30 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BG Register via Eventbrite The 2021 forum will involve leading academics and practitioners discussing the political and security situation in the Korean … [Read More]