London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Five from the archive

Recent Posts

April events 2025

Bong Joon-ho is on the cover of this month’s Sight and Sound, marking the special season of his films at BFI and the theatrical release of his Mickey 17, and Park Jiha has a three concert tour to celebrate her new album. You probably didn’t manage to get tickets to Yunchan Lim’s Wigmore Hall recital, … [Read More]

Andrew Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet – the perfect opening to BFI Flare 2025

BFI Flare launched yesterday with a humdinger of an opening movie: Andrew Ahn’s reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 The Wedding Banquet. Ahn’s partner in creating this update, James Schamus, also co-wrote Ang Lee’s version. While the original film features a single gay couple and a marriage of convenience, the reboot has two gay couples, which … [Read More]

For more posts, visit our Featured Content page.

Recent Event updates

K-Beauty Academy: Personal Colour Analysis Workshops

The Korean Cultural Centre UK is delighted to host a series of Personal Colour Analysis Workshops, offering you a unique opportunity to explore the shades that complement your natural features and elevate your personal style. Led by a professional colour specialist from Korea, each session includes a personalised colour consultation and practical styling tips—especially tailored … [Read More]

SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in London

The SMTown 2025 world tour kicks off in Korea on 11-12 January at Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul, with performers including K-pop veterans Bada (S.E.S) Hwanhee (Fly to the Sky) and Tony An (H.O.T). Wouldn’t it be great if similar legends made it to the London show on 28 June? This is the roadshow’s first visit … [Read More]

Korea Day 2025 in Liverpool

On 29 April 2025, Korea Day in Liverpool will be held at Mountford Hall, located in the Guild of Students at the University of Liverpool. This special one-day event is co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre UK and the University of Liverpool Korean Society, offering a unique opportunity to experience the diversity and global influence … [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

LKL book database logo

Snowy Day and Other Stories

The first story collection published in English by Lee Chang-dong, one of South Korea’s most celebrated and influential literary and cinematic figures. Much like Lee Chang-dong’s internationally renowned films (Burning, Secret Sunshine, and Poetry), these brilliant, unsettling tales, originally published in Korea in the 1980s and now translated into English for the first time, investigate … [Read More]

Green Frog

Here are fifteen pitch-perfect stories about women trying to make their own way: featuring daughters, divorcees, fox demons, a praying mantis, and . . . green frogs. A young girl reconnects with her Korean grandmother; an artist considers her connection to the Korean folktale of the green frog; a praying mantis living in a beautiful … [Read More]

Vestiges of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea: A Translation of the Samguk yusa [forthcoming]

Vestiges of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea (Samguk yusa) is the first annotated English translation of one of the most important premodern Korean historical texts. One of only two surviving works on the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE–668) and Greater Silla (668–936), the Samguk yusa is a rich collection of historical, supernatural, and mythical stories, including one of … [Read More]

Luminous

In a recently reunified Korea, robots have integrated seamlessly into society. They are our teachers, our bus drivers and policemen. They are our lovers. They are even our children. Eleven-year-old Ruijie sifts through scrap metal in a Seoul junkyard, searching for anything that might repair her failing body. There amongst the piles of junk she … [Read More]

Against the Chains of Utility: Sacrifice and Literature in 1970s and 1980s South Korea [forthcoming]

The 1970s and 1980s were pivotal decades in South Korea, marked by rapid industrialization and urbanization. The language of sacrifice was constantly employed by the developmental state to justify its exploitation of workers and violation of countless civil rights as necessary for the nation’s economic growth and security. As a counter to this prevailing rhetoric, … [Read More]

Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean [forthcoming]

Drinking is an essential part of Korean culture, one that’s guided by a complex web of unspoken rules, deep tradition, and lots and lots of food. With Soju Party, food writer, chef, and co-owner of Brooklyn’s Orion Bar Irene Yoo has written the book on drinking like a Korean. She introduces the classic Korean alcohols and … [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.