It’s over ten years since Rejina Pyo came to our attention at a fashion exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre. By that time, having received her MA at Central Saint Martins in 2011, she had already launched her own fashion brand (2013) and had some of her designs collected by a Belgian museum. She opened … [Read More]
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London Hallyu Festival: the Symposium’s culture panel takes a look at UK Hallyu trends
Seeing that I invested a bit of time in pulling together some discussion material for the culture panel at the Korea Symposium on 29 September I thought I’d share some of the slides together with the gist of what I was trying to say. I was trying to trace, as objectively as possible, what one … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival Announces 2025 Programme
Here’s the official press release for this year’s London Korean Film Festival, released today. This year’s festival is the 20th organised by the KCCUK. You can find the detailed schedule here. London Korean Film Festival announces programme for special 20th anniversary edition Opening Gala (World Premiere) – Frosted Window by acclaimed director Kim Jong-kwan, followed … [Read More]
Review: Swag Age in Concert — A Fusion of Tradition, Rebellion, and Rhythm
Regular followers of my reviews will know that I’m not, in general, a big fan of musicals, Korean or otherwise, having too often experienced and evening of prosaic lyrics shoehorned between the barlines of unmemorable melodies. In addition, I often find with Korean musicals that there is too much plot to fit into the allotted … [Read More]
K-Music Festival 2025: an introduction
As October approaches, it’s time to start looking forward to what has become one of the mainstays of the Autumn cultural calendar: the K-Music Festival. LKL take a look at the acts that we’ll be seeing this October and November. [Read More]
Interview: Swag Age — Korean tradition in a contemporary musical comes to the West End
Guest contributor Timothy Holm meets the creatives behind the Joseon-era musical Swag Age, and gets to the bottom of the meaning of the catchy Oh-Eh-Oh! chorus. [Read More]
Yoon Ga-eun’s “The World of Love” in BFI London Film Festival official competition
The full programme of the 2025 London Film Festival will be unveiled on 3 September, but today the ten films selected to screen in the festival’s Official Competition were announced. Included in the list is Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love. Yoon has charmed us with her previous movies, which focus on the lives and … [Read More]
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Recent Event updates
Re-Seed Asia: The Future of East Asian Fashion & Cultural Exchange
Re-Seed Asia brings together fashion, education, and cultural exchange to connect emerging creatives across Asia. Re-Seed Asia: Fashion, Culture & Creative Diplomacy Summit is an exhibition-led international cultural exchange programme hosted by University of the Arts London at London College of Fashion. This exhibition brings together emerging student creatives from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the … [Read More]
Big Bang 20th anniversary tour comes to London
K‑pop veterans Big Bang return to London this September for a rare stadium‑scale appearance at Tottenham Hotspur as part of their 20th Anniversary world tour, marking one of the most anticipated Korean music events of the year. As pioneers of the genre’s global expansion, Big Bang helped define the sound and spectacle of modern K‑pop, blending … [Read More]
KCCUK Norigae and Jogakbo Workshop
Join the KCCUK for a hands-on craft workshop exploring the beauty of Norigae and Jogakbo, two treasured elements of traditional Korean culture. Discover the history, symbolism, and artistry behind these unique crafts while creating your own meaningful keepsakes. Norigae Norigae is a traditional Korean ornament worn by women that added elegance and splendour to the … [Read More]
Korea Forum 2026: Beyond Soft Power — From K-Wave to K-Initiative
Korea captured the world’s imagination through culture. Can it now help shape what comes next? Presented by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom and the Korean Cultural Centre UK, ‘Korea Forum 2026’ brings together thought leaders from business, culture, academia, and diplomacy to explore how Korea’s cultural influence is evolving … [Read More]
Miya Lee, Catherine Cho and Ela Lee at Wimbledon Book Fest 2026
One of the writers at the heart of the genre discusses the rise of Korean healing fiction, the lives of her characters, the work of translators, and the deep human appetite -wherever we live -for stories that make space for kindness. Miye Lee is the author of The Dallergut Dream Department Store, the magical-realist phenomenon that … [External Link]
Le Sserafim PUREFLOW World Tour in London
LE SSERAFIM bring their PUREFLOW World Tour to London on 16 October 2026, marking the group’s first standalone UK concert and a major step in their expanding global footprint. Since debuting under Source Music/HYBE, the five‑member group have become one of K‑pop’s most closely watched acts, pairing precision choreography with a sleek, hybrid sound that … [Read More]
The above events list includes recent updates to events which might have been uploaded some time ago (eg an update confirming venue or ticket link). A chronological listing of all event notices published, most recent first, can be found here. A list of all upcoming events can be found here.
Recent Book updates
American Han
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, Jane Kim and her brother, Kevin, dutifully embodied the model minority myth as their parents demanded: both stellar tennis players and academically gifted, they worked hard to make their parents proud. Jane went on to law school. Kevin came close to becoming a professional … [Read More]
Earth Works: Houses by Byoung Cho
Earth Works: Houses by Byoung Cho offers a unique glimpse into the residential buildings of one of Korea’s most influential architects. This visually stunning monograph combines photography, plans, drawings, paintings and models to provide an exclusive overview of this rarely published aspect of Byoung’s work. Focused entirely around fifteen private and rarely seen residences, the … [Read More]
Mukja: Let’s Eat!: Fan-Favorite Recipes from K-Pop, K-Dramas & More [forthcoming]
Celebrate the flavors of hallyu with more than 65 mukbang-worthy recipes inspired by Korean dramas, movies, and music. The Korean Wave, or hallyu, has seen the K-food craze spread globally, spurred by the popularity of cultural exports like K-pop and K-dramas. From dalgona coffee to cheese-filled corndogs, Korean trends are taking over, both on-screen and … [Read More]
The Promised Republic: Developmental Society and the Making of Modern Seoul, 1961-1979
In The Promised Republic, Russell Burge offers a bold new history of South Korea’s rapid development. By focusing on the experience of rural-to-urban migrants who built and lived in Seoul’s shantytowns, Burge historicizes national development as a site of struggle with the urban poor at its center. What would a society of postcolonial abundance look like? … [Read More]
Orange and the Bread Knife
The thrilling high-concept Korean bestseller about conforming to society’s standards, where one woman decides she has HAD ENOUGH Oh Young-a, a warm-hearted schoolteacher, lives to please – smiling through people’s demands, moulding her hobbies and even her heart to match what others deem to be “right”. But beneath her cheerful facade, the weight of constant … [Read More]
K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry Into Why We Love Korean Television
From the Emmy Award-winning Squid Game to streaming sensations like The Glory and Crash Landing on You, Korean television has emerged onto the global pop culture scene as compelling television—but what exactly makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable? And what can we learn about our societies and ourselves from watching them? From stand-up comedian and media studies PhD Grace Jung … [Read More]
The above booklist includes recent updates to books which might have been uploaded some time ago (eg an update to reflect a release of cover art, or a new review). A chronological listing of all books uploaded, most recent first, can be found here.