Bear with me while I upgrade to the latest version of WordPress. Hopefully this won’t take too long… Update 1: OK, So far so good apart from the fact that I need to upgrade the Flickr plugin… Update 2: Done, so I can now make posts. Please report any other bugs. [Read More]
Year: 2007 (page 13)
Traditional Korean dance at Asia House
An evening of traditional Korean dance at Asia House: Dance Performance An Enchanting Evening of Korean Traditional Dance Wednesday 18 July at Asia House Introduction by Jeannie-J Kim, Choreographed by Kil-Soon Yang Doors 6.45, Performance 7.00-8.30pm Followed by a drinks reception and light Korean buffet Please note the later start time! (1) Asia House presents … [Read More]
Samulnori Summer School at SOAS
The Samulnori Summer School at SOAS is next week. If you can spare five evenings you’ll have a great time. I can’t promise you’ll end up being able to drum like the fellow on the right, but you’ll be able to do a convincing imitation of being able to hit a changgo. And by the … [Read More]
PyeongChang beaten fair and square?
So Korea is not to host the 2014 winter games. Beaten by Sochi in Russia. Cynics will say that the real winners from PyeongChang’s energetic campaign were CNN, who gave PyeongChang’s campaign global reach by screening the commercials (HT to Tom Coyner). Despite the optimism (above), did Korea ever have a hope? A cutting article … [Read More]
Beware the mystery killer
As we get into the heat of the Distinct Season of summer we can expect to start hearing stories of the uniquely Korean cause of death — the electric fan. Urban legend has it that sleeping in a sealed room with the fan going can kill – though all the detailed explanations of how death … [Read More]
Round-up of recent business stories
Some recent stories I don’t want to lose. Mercer’s annual cost of living survey for expats has recently been published. Seoul, last year’s number 2, has been pushed to number 3 by London. Moscow stays top of the list. Tokyo is fourth. Korea is also slipping in the GDP rankings. Bank of Korea data shows … [Read More]
“Korea, Sparkling” explained
Hiding at the bottom of the goody-bag we were handed at the Korea Tourism Organisation’s “Korea, Sparkling” launch ten days ago was a little booklet which you could almost have missed. But for those who are puzzled as to what “Korea, Sparkling” is all about, the booklet contains some of the answers. It is published … [Read More]
Choi Jeong-hwa Welcome in Wolverhampton
In his first solo show in a UK public gallery, Choi Jeong-hwa’s exhibition, Welcome, is also one of the first shows to be held in Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s new exhibition space. Choi has celebrated by wrapping the gallery in bright-coloured ribbons (below left) – a project reminiscent of his installation as part of the Seoul … [Read More]
Fountain Pub Korean Food Festival 2007
Bastille day will give you the opportunity to sample Korean food washed down with British beer. Maybe there will be some soju available as well. Saturday 14 July sees the Korean Food Festival come to the Fountain Pub (left) in New Malden. Details as follows: 12:00~7:00 pm (Opening Ceremony 12:15 pm) at 120 Malden Road … [Read More]
June statistics
After a couple of months of strong growth the statistics are now levelling off a bit. Maybe it’s because I haven’t done a post about Super Junior recently, maybe it’s because my site is taken offline for a cooling off period when there’s too much traffic and so people are giving up visiting; maybe it’s … [Read More]
Tom Coyner and Song-Hyon Jang: Mastering Business in Korea
(Seoul Selection, 2007) With a title like “Mastering Business in Korea” the current book might well turn off the casual reader. But as well as having, as its title suggests, a business angle, it can also be used as a more general cultural guide. And because this is a practical book written by people who … [Read More]
Rain on the Parade — Kingston’s Mud Festival
Jennifer Barclay’s account of Kingston’s answer to the Boryeong Mud Festival Where else on a wet Saturday in June would you get classical dance, freestyle football and women arm-wrestling? But no-one I asked in Kingston-upon-Thames knew where Fairfield Recreation Ground was. Signs might even have attracted the curious. Eventually I got directions from a policewoman, … [Read More]
Young In Hong: On Air, at Shêd
Young In Hong has a solo site-specific exhibition at a new private members club, Shêd, 17-20 Ironmonger Lane, London EC2V 8EP, 7 July – 31 August 2007 Pop in for lunch and see the installations. The exhibition is curated by Jiyoon Lee / Suum Projects [Read More]
Last chance to book your makeover
Seong Won Kim’s brief tenure at the Dior counter in Selfridges ends tomorrow. This is your last chance to book a makeover with one of Dior’s international beauty commandos. Details here. Here’s a picture in from a makeover last Friday, with artist Francesca Cho doubling as catwalk fabulous supermodel. [Read More]
DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman Blasts Anti-Chongryon Campaign in Japan
An interesting prelude to the two talks at Chatham House this week… A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK on Sunday issued the statement : Japan has taken harsh actions against Chongryon and Koreans in Japan such as forcible search of its facilities and their houses, assaults and arrests of them … [Read More]
Exhibition: Artists, art and culture of North Korea
In what has got to be a contender for the Korean cultural event of the year, if only for rarity value, a varied collection of artworks has arrived from North Korea’s Mansudae studio for the exhibition later this month, Artists, Art and Culture of North Korea. Some of North Korea’s most famous art works will … [Read More]