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Category Archives: Ask an expert

Your help requested. And, some people have all the luck

28-Jun-07
A reader at ukfan's DJG Comic Relief forum is doing a research project on Dae Jang Geum. He's a PhD researcher at Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change at Leeds Metropolitan University. As part of this he needs your help to perfect a cultural survey. The survey can be found here. Please email it to him at the address shown on the word document. He needs it in the next few days. Once he has reviewed your answers to make sure the questionnaire is working OK he gets to go on a field trip: to the DJG theme park in Yangjoo City, Gyeonggi Province, where he will interview a scientifically selected sample of tourists. If only I had had so much ...
Also filed in Dae Jang Geum, TV drama, Travel | | Comments (1) »

Your input is valued

06-Jun-07
Towards the end of last year I asked you to provide feedback, anonymous or otherwise, on Think Korea 2006. Part of my motive for doing that was to reflect any comments you had in my year-end roundup of 2006 events. But also I knew that the organisers were going to ask for some informal face-to-face feedback as well. So early in January a few of us self-appointed experts went round to the embassy for a chat. And the dialogue was something the embassy was keen to continue. So now it's time for us to go round for another chat. And since LKL now reaches probably four times as many people as it reached when I last made this request, maybe I'll ...
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Korean female vocalist wanted

24-Apr-07
I got an interesting email from a visitor today. We are an international ensemble of experimental musicians, SOKI2U. See our website (linked below) to hear some of our music. We are urgently seeking a Korean female vocalist, and the ability to play an instrument and compose your own songs would be a huge advantage. We own our own  little recording studio in London, and work only on Sunday afternoons. All our material is original. Our first album, released Oct 2006, won an award and had three No 1 singles. Please contact Derek through the band website or MySpace page. Derek adds that he came across a Korean busker at Angel tube a couple of years ago who called herself "Burn": She played guitar ...
Also filed in Music: other | | Comments (0) »

Bae Doo-na in London

05-Apr-07
Thanks to Mark Russell over at Korea Pop Wars for news of a photo journal of Bae Doo-na's visit to London. Can any Korean speakers out there have a read of what appears to be Ms Bae's official blog at Naver, and tell me how to get hold of the book? Update 11 April: It's OK, Seoul Selection have sourced it for me and it's now on its way to London, where it belongs... Links: Bae Doo-na blog at Naver Mark's Bae Doo-na post at Korea Pop Wars Bae Doo-na's official home page Bae Doo-na's Cyworld Minihompy Another Doo-na site (Images from the 두나 blog) Related posts:New! Broadsheet BlogWatch Following yesterday’s flashy launch of Celebrity BlogWatch, a more sober...New indie music sites Those who keep an eye on my ...
Also filed in Bae Doo-na, Celebs | | Comments (0) »

Biographical details for Min Yeong?

04-Apr-07
Regular readers will recall the interesting project that Gavin O'Toole is engaged in: a collection of poems from around the world on the subject of Che Guevara. With the help of Brother Anthony, Gavin got hold of the translations of two Korean poems, one by Ko Un and the other by Min Yeong. As the project is now nearing completion, Gavin is looking to provide short biographical details for each of the poets in the book, and is having difficulty sourcing anything in English about Min Yeong. Can anyone provide such details? Links: Brother Anthony's site Translations of Ko Un and Min Yeong poems on Che Guevara Related posts:Che in Verse launched (Che in Verse, eds Gavin O’Toole & Georgina Jimenez, Aflame...Che Guevara in Korean poetry ...
Also filed in General book news | | Comments (0) »

Dae Jang Geum survey

03-Apr-07
A request for assistance from a PhD researcher. Hello, I'm a Ph.D. student at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California. I am interested in studying popular cultural phenomena in or related to East Asia. I'm currently working on a research project about viewer's perceptions and opinions of Korean TV dramas. I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me out by completing the web survey linked below. The study takes about 5-15 minutes depending on your answers. Please be noted that this research project has been approved by University Institutional Review Board. You need to be at least 18 years of age to participate. Your participation will be completely anonymous and voluntary. Once you start the survey online, you will ...
Also filed in Dae Jang Geum, TV drama | | Comments (0) »

Music to delight a Korean host

23-Mar-07
An interesting request for advice from a reader. A group of tutors from a British music academy is visiting Seoul on a school exchange. They've formed a band and want to perform a Korean number for their hosts. The band consists of bass, drums, guitar and keyboard plus female vocalist, and they are looking for suggestions as to what they could perform. Their preference is that the piece should be "modern and perhaps rock based" -- and because the vocalist isn't a Korean speaker the lyrics can't be too complex. They've thought of Arirang and would rather do something a bit different. They'll need an MP3 of the song, plus the lyrics, so that they can transcribe and learn it before they go. My ...
Also filed in Music: K-pop, Music: other | | Comments (1) »

Korean missionaries in Afghanistan

07-Feb-07
I just received a request from a reader for any means of contacting the organisation which has sent Korean missionaries to Afghanistan -- or indeed contact details for any of the missionaries out there. The reader is anxious to contact a relative who is with the missionaries and who hasn't been in touch for a while. Can anyone help? Related posts:Korean Christians in Afghanistan Every now and then I notice a story which has...Radio 4: Korean missionaries abroad: Bible Studies with Taekwondo Crossing Continents - a BBC Radio 4 broadcast from earlier...Afghanistan worst fighting “since the Korean War” It’s taken the interview over a week to make it... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Also filed in Religion | | Comments (1) »

Your help needed in Hongdae

16-Jan-07
My spies tell me that this Friday night (19 Jan) is a good time to be in Hongdae. Go to up to 10 live music clubs and it only costs you 15,000 Won for the lot, as part of the SoundDay event, which isn't bad value. But for a pretty un-hip Brit who doesn't speak the language and has spent the grand total of 3 days in Seoul, the prospect of navigating the trendy Hongik club scene is pretty daunting. So is there a Seoulite out there who wouldn't mind guiding a hapless foreigner round the music venues this Friday? I'll even buy you a beer or two. One stipulation: the tour has to include Oh Brothers at Drug. Related posts:SoundDay in Hongdae ...
Also filed in Music: K-pop | | Comments (0) »

Things Korean in London / New Malden

13-Jan-07

Things Korean in London / New Malden

Prompted by another query from a visitor, I thought I'd catalogue all the things which people seem to want to know about in London and about which there is no information on this site. Do please let me know if these are available anywhere in central London or New Malden: A Korean public bath-house / sauna A Noraebang A tea shop Korean cookery lessons Korean dating agency Leave a comment below, or send me an email via the contact form. Related posts:Become an LKL reviewer: win a FREE ticket to the BFI London Film Festival We’re always on the lookout for new talent to join...Contact us Please fill out your details or send feedback in the...The London Korean Links Facebook Group Hi all I’ve recently set up ...
Also filed in Koreans in UK, Koreatowns, Yellow Pages | | Comments (6) »

Your help needed in Seoul

08-Jan-07
Two recent questions from readers. Firstly, one which risks eliciting a huge number of recommendations, from Ashey: Hi, I had the Yuko system done in England 6 months ago and now I am living in Korea and I am looking for a similar hair straightening system in Seoul. If anyone could give me the name of a salon on Seoul that does it, that would be great. Secondly, a tougher one. Does anyone know of a recruitment company in Korea (or indeed elsewhere) who specialises in helping foreigners find work in Korea? Particularly skilled foreigners (eg qualified accountants) with English as a first language who are also fluent in conversational Korean? It might sound as if I'm looking for a job myself, but it's ...
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Books on Korean Heroes

09-Dec-06
Probably a fairly straightforward question from a visitor in the US: I have children born in U.S. For education purposes, I am trying to find good (series of) books written in English for Korean Heroes in old history. Could someone refer me to website links? Thanks. My immediate thought is to recommend the series recently started by the Diamond Sutra Recitation Group. Their book on Admiral Yi fits the bill admirably, and I recently dipped in to their book on King Sejong which is also along the same lines. Are there any other recommendations? Related posts:Korean books in London We were unable to give a decent answer to the...ULKS Korean night As I wandered unchecked into the Conway Hall last night...Korean books at ...
Also filed in General book news | | Comments (2) »

Che Guevara in Korean poetry (part 2)

03-Dec-06
Thanks to daeguowl for researching this interesting question, and for coming up with some additional poems to consider. And a special thanks to Brother Anthony of Taize for giving of his time, and providing translations for the two key poems which our visitor was interested in. Here they are: Memoirs by Ko Un Translated by Brother Anthony of Taizé and Lee Sang-Wha I was twenty. For no reason I wearily loathed the apricot-flowered spring days. I was starving. I wanted to fall Clang! on the bitterly cold snowfields of Irkutzk in Siberia -- forty below. I wanted to fall, shot, killed like a young Decembrist. An obtuse age, all I hoped was a breathless Sturm und Drang. I felt as if a wizard's hand had been cut off with a straw-cutter. When a hoe was thrust ...
Also filed in General book news, Ko Un | | Comments (2) »

Che Guevara in Korean poetry

29-Nov-06
Here's a fascinating query I just received from a reader. I am compiling a book of poetry from around the world about the Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. I have been referred to the titles of two Korean poems that make indirect references to Che: In front of Kim Nam-ju's grave written by Min Yeong in 2001 and Memoirs written by Ko Eun published in 2002. Would any of your readers perhaps be able to refer me to the volumes in which I might find either of these poems, as I am very anxious to include Korea in the collection. Also, if any of your readers know of any other Korean poems about Che, that would be of enormous help. Over to you. Can anyone help? Related ...
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Your help requested again

17-Oct-06
Two questions from a reader from Manchester: Does anyone know of Korean (or Korean diaspora) artists living and working in Britain? Does anyone know of any Korean societies in Manchester? Please leave comments below if you can help Related posts:Your help requested. And, some people have all the luck A reader at ukfan’s DJG Comic Relief forum is...Your help requested Two queries received recently from visitors to this site. Bookshops...Your help needed in Seoul Two recent questions from readers. Firstly, one which risks eliciting... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
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Learning Korean in London

18-Sep-06
I had a query recently from a visitor to this site as to where she could take beginners classes in Korean. The only place I know of is SOAS, and no-one else could think of any other places. By coincidence, I got an email from Cho Jaehee, the co-ordinator of Korean courses at SOAS, asking if I could give the classes a bit of publicity. Happy to oblige. I've started a new page on Learning Korean. Not something I've tried to do myself. Yet. Related posts:Language resources Learning Korean There are two places I know of in...Beginners’ Korean at the KCC - Season 2 The KCC has just opened registration for the next round...Korean books in London We were unable to give a ...
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Korean books in London

08-Sep-06
We were unable to give a decent answer to the recent visitor to this site who asked where he could buy Korean books in London. The best anyone could come up with was to try a trip to New Malden. [Update: there's a Korean bookshop in New Malden which I visited recently. More info here.] Undeterred, the visitor (from the Czech Republic) did his own research and came up with Grant & Cutler in Great Marlborough Street. He reports that they sell a few books in korean language as well as many exercise books and books in English about Korea. Once I've checked it out personally I'll update my book page accordingly. Related posts:More bookshops in central London While in the centre of town ...
Also filed in General book news, Yellow Pages | | Comments (0) »

LKL readers deliver results

28-Aug-06
When I started this site I never dreamed that I would end up helping to recruit language coaches for government agencies, or advise people on where to go to get their hair straightened. But those are two of this site's recent successes, thanks to you, dear readers. So thank you to the various visitors to this site, and people on my email list, who help me by answering questions and feeding me events I didn't know about, particularly Max, Hyun-ho, Jase and Beth. And for those of you who are desperate to know a good Korean hairdresser in London, two highly trusted readers recommended J Hair, 54 Warren Street tel (020) 7383 0323. I fed the info back to the lady who ...
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Your help requested

24-Aug-06
Two queries received recently from visitors to this site. Bookshops ((By the way, I just heard about another English language bookshop with good coverage of Korea: Arthur Probsthain in Great Russell Street, who also operate the SOAS bookshop. I have their list of books on Korea, and I'll update my books page once I've checked out the shop itself.)). Does anyone know a bookshop in central London, New Malden, or anywhere in between, where they sell Korean books? That is, books written in Korean (novels, short stories, whatever) rather than books in English about Korea. Hairdressers. Does anyone know a good Korean hairdresser? Apparently Korean hairdressers have the best permanent hair-straightening techniques. (You learn something every day. Actually, I mentioned this to ...
Also filed in General book news | | Comments (4) »