In the year-end spirit of reviewing the highlights and lowlights of 2006, here are the winners of the first LKL Awards – a personal and unscientific selection. The awards are in the following categories: Man of the Year Woman of the Year Best cultural promotion: Briton in Korea Best cultural promotion: Korean in Britain Best … [Read More]
Year: 2006
Think Korea 2006: a review of the year
2006 was a great year for Korean culture in London. I can’t rank it against previous years because this was the first time I’ve taken it upon myself actively to follow as many Korean-related events as I can, but for the wide range of things on show I think it must be one of the … [Read More]
Visit the Dae Jang Geum campaign sites
Pay a visit to ukfan’s DJG comic relief discussion board. There’s a sample of his work below. And if you haven’t done so already, sign Alice’s petition to get DJG shown on the BBC, and visit her blog. [Read More]
Adrien Gombeaud and others: Kim Ki-duk
(Dis Voir, 2006) Adrien Gombeaud / Anaïd Demir / Cédric Lagandré / Catherine Capdeville-Zeng / Daniele Rivière The best French organists are known for their improvisation skills. Suggest a theme, and they will start a journey from it, sometimes referring back to it but often exploring strange new vistas completely unrelated to it. The essays … [Read More]
Graham Norton sits on the best of Korean design
Congratulations to Korean-born Jackie and Lloyd Choi of Jackie Choi London for winning one of the Mayor of Hackney’s annual Business Awards 2006. The awards are designed to “celebrate entrepreneurs with business acumen and innovative ideas that generate jobs throughout the borough”. The awards were presented on 14 November, and the Choi sisters won in … [Read More]
A forlorn Abies Koreana
This is the time of year when we think of people less fortunate than ourselves. There are special charity appeals, and soup kitchens spring up in church halls across the land. Spare a thought, then, for a Korean refugee in our back garden, whose days I think are numbered. He’s picked on by the locals, … [Read More]
A Happy Christmas to all our readers
Some seasonal snaps from London and Seoul First, Trafalgar Square and Regent Street during December 2006, from UK Student Life. And now December 2005 in Seoul, from Zofona. If anyone knows where the scenes are, leave a comment below. And finally, the light display currently gracing Seoul Plaza, entitled Luce Vista: [Read More]
Wedding wishes
Firstly we wish every happiness to Moon So-ri and Jang Jun-Hwan, who are getting married today. Closer to home, Jason Bechervaise and Ahn Meeyeon of koreanfilm.org.uk are preparing for their own future together. They will be getting married in Seoul in a quiet ceremony in January. And to all you singles out there, I hope … [Read More]
Chosun Ilbo’s top K-pop of the year
Here’s their list: Best Album Best Song 1 Vibe: Re-feel Vibe: He & She (equal with Lee Sung-chul) 2 Lee Seung-chul: Reflections of Sound Lee Seung-chul: Shout it out (equal with Vibe) 3 SG Wannabe: 3rd Masterpiece Baek Ji-young: I won’t fall in love again 4 Nell: Healing Process Eru: Black Glasses 5 Sung Si-kyung: … [Read More]
Kim Ki-young retrospective in Paris
I’m afraid I’ve let you all down. There’s been a feast of film in Paris for the last few weeks at the Cinematheque: a retrospective of the great Kim Ki-young. It ends on Christmas Eve. One of the highlights would have been a round table on Kim, which included Bong Joon-ho, on 2 December. I … [Read More]
Korea’s cute and funky cultural exports
Chatham House Korea Discussion Group China’s ‘Korea Wave’: National Branding, Piracy, Idols and Fans Speaker: Dr Rowan Pease, 6 December 2006, 1:15pm If ever you get the chance to hear Rowan Pease talk on her chosen subject of the hallyu in China, drop everything and go to it. Even if you’ve heard some of her … [Read More]
Kings College Choir in Seoul
I’d be interested to hear if any Seoulites who happen to visit this site went to hear the King’s College Choir at the Seoul Arts Centre on Saturday. Not cheap, at up to 120,000 won per ticket. Part of the magic of King’s is the acoustic of the chapel itself and the very English sound … [Read More]
Shinhan agrees to buy majority stake in LG Card
After becoming preferred bidder earlier this year, On December 20, 2006, Shinhan Financial Group signed an agreement with Korea Development Bank, the Presiding Bank representing the 14 Creditor Financial Institutions, to acquire a 78.58% stake in LG Card at KRW67,770 per share. The price amounts to 6.68 trillion won ($7.19 billion), according to Reuters. The … [Read More]
Francesca Cho’s meditative work
I happened to meet artist Francesca Cho at the Jerwood gallery yesterday lunchtime. Korean-born, but now based in London, she is the more established artist among the exhibitors in the Still Dynamics show, which closes today. Her contemplative work, to which the images below and my words here can’t do justice, recalls Rothko but also … [Read More]
Is it Mrs Blair who’s farting Hangul?
Prompted by Beccy Kennedy’s thoughtful comments on the Still Dynamics exhibition, I popped over the river to the Jerwood Space yesterday lunchtime. The result is this somewhat tabloid counterblast — hoping to prompt some more of you to go along to see it for yourself. The most eye-catching work in the show is Seunghee Kang’s … [Read More]
Korean art: Unstoppable forces and immovable objects
Still Dynamics: The Korean Contemporary Art Show The Jerwood Space, 14-20 December Review by Beccy Kennedy The serene setting of the Jerwood Space provides the perfect offset for the vivid works of eleven Korean artists. With the exception of Kira Kim’s light installation, I Love U, and Sangjun Roh’s miniature, cardboard people, the works are … [Read More]