A visit to Foyles during Korean Culture Month

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by Philip Gowman on 22 October, 2018

in Event reports and reviews | General book news

Foyles’s Korean Culture Month runs from 13 October into the middle of November in partnership with the KCC. As part of the promotion, Korean books are displayed prominently by the ground floor information desk and on Level 4, where all their foreign language books are. You are able to sign up for a free exploratory […]

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Mini review round-up: the 2018 LKFF Teaser screenings

by Philip Gowman 21 October 2018
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Sometimes I just don’t have the time to marshal any thoughts about a movie after seeing it. Daily life takes over any before I know it I’ve watched another movie and the memory of the previous one is dimming fast. But as I’ve been on holiday for a few days away from the daily grind, […]

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Brief review: Comrade Kim goes Flying

by Philip Gowman 20 October 2018
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The London East Asia Film Festival gives us the second chance this year to see Comrade Kim Goes Flying in the company of two of its directors, Nicholas Bonner and Anja Daelemans. The screening in March was in fact the UK premiere, which came almost six years after its international premiere in Toronto in early September […]

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The film festivals approach – as does the annual battle for our diaries

by Philip Gowman 17 October 2018
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Last year I had a little rant about the hectic and competing schedules of the two overlapping film festivals of interest to the Korean film audience. The London Korean Film Festival has had a long history of packing so many films into their programme that it’s impossible to go to everything you want to see. […]

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A quiet look at the LKFF’s 2018 programme

by Philip Gowman 9 October 2018
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The London Korean Film Festival returns for its 13th edition next month with a slightly quieter tone than in some previous years. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s as if the organisers are saying that, as the festival enters its teenage years, the audience is becoming grown-up enough not to require a diet of […]

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The end of the journey: desire, recognition and redemption in BTS’s “IDOL”

by Colette Balmain 1 October 2018
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Dr Colette Balmain examines the culmination of the BTS Love Yourself series: “IDOL” is the lead single from BTS’s final album in the “Love Yourself” series. The series comprises one extended storyworld music video, Love Yourself 起 Wonder; one mini album, Love Yourself 承 Her; one full length album, Love Yourself 轉 Tear; and one […]

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October events 2018

by Philip Gowman 1 October 2018
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Visual arts and exhibitions Suh Do-ho’s Bridging Home, London is near Liverpool Street, and Lee Ufan’s Relatum – Stage outside the Serpentine Gallery, at least until the end of the year. The Liverpool Biennial (till 28 Oct) and Asia Triennial Manchester (5 – 21 Oct) have plenty of Korean interest Yunchul Kim’s Dawns, Mine, Crystal […]

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Bongsu Park’s Dream Auction

by Philip Gowman 30 September 2018
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Last year, Bongsu Park’s Internal Library project culminated in a fascinating and thought-provoking sequence of events in which members of the public were invited to share some of their most private thoughts – dreams, memories, secrets – which were then woven into a set of public performance at Notting Hill’s Print Room. Out of that […]

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Text of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration

by Philip Gowman 19 September 2018
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The following is the unofficial translation of the communique issued from the Pyongyang summit. President Moon’s statement following the summit can be found on the Blue House website. Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea and Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic […]

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Another World We Are Making: a look at LKFF’s focus on Kim Dong-won

by Philip Gowman 17 September 2018
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Almost inexplicably, when compared with previous documentary screenings, the KCC’s mini festival of Korean documentaries, spread over two weekends, was over-subscribed, with latecomers for one session needing to sit on the floor. The decision to break out the documentary strand from the main London Korean Film Festival has probably been vindicated, and the strategy of […]

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Restaurant visit: Suhyung Lee and Yujung Kim at Carousel

by Philip Gowman 10 September 2018
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Over the recent half a dozen years, there have been several opportunities to explore Western cuisine with Korean influences. A couple of them have been for guests of the KCC only. First, to celebrate the Korean programme of events around the London 2012 Olympics a star chef from the CJ Food stable presented a VIP […]

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Spurs gain from Korea’s Asian Games victory

by Philip Gowman 2 September 2018
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It was only a few days ago that the Vietnamese national football team, enjoying a remarkable run of success in the Asian Games under their Korean coach Park Hang-seo, had ambitions of making it to the final. They were up against South Korea in the semis. Park’s success has been followed closely from Korea, [reported […]

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September events 2018

by Philip Gowman 1 September 2018
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Visual arts and design Two exhibitions close today: Hyen Jungyoon’s Walking on Tiptoes at the KCC and Gazelli Art House’s Window Project which includes work by Park Jinyong. The Koppel Art Hive group show 6 – 8 September features work by Min Joonhong The Sunny Art Prize exhibition 4 – 30 September includes work by six Korean […]

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The Garden of the Forking Paths: Difference and Repetition in BTS “Epiphany”

by Colette Balmain 21 August 2018
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Dr Colette Balmain examines the BTS comeback trailer for Love Yourself 結 Answer: “Epiphany” is the comeback trailer for BTS’ last entry in the LOVE YOURSELF Series: Love Yourself 結 Answer. LOVE YOURSELF is a transmedia and multimedia project involving the expansion of the BTS Universe through the construction of a metafictional storyworld established by Music […]

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The 73rd Independence Day celebrations in New Malden

by Philip Gowman 18 August 2018
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Kingston’s Koreans today celebrated the 73rd anniversary of Independence Day. It was the first public engagement of the new ambassador, HE Park Eun-ha, who is to be thanked for making the time: she only arrived in London to take up her post two days ago. In attendance were Kingston’s Mayor, Thay Thayalan, and the leader […]

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8 more reasons to visit Lee Bul: Crashing

by Philip Gowman 17 August 2018
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Lee Bul’s fabulous show at the Hayward Gallery closes this weekend. If you haven’t seen it yet, here are eight more reasons why you should. 1. Park Chung-hee naked OK, a rather sensationalist opener, and not something I ever expected to find myself writing, but yes: suspended from the ceiling are two naked effigies of […]

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Movie review double bill: Along with the Gods 1 and 2

by Philip Gowman 16 August 2018
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Somehow, I managed to miss last year’s fantasy blockbuster Along with the Gods. I didn’t spot that it got a brief UK release until it was too late, and the movie didn’t make to any of the UK festivals to my knowledge. I didn’t even read any reviews. But it registered in my brain as […]

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