On Monday next week we have the rare opportunity to hear some work by possibly Korea’s best-known composer in the Western “classical” style, Yun Isang (윤이상). Yun was born on Korea’s south coast near Tongyeong (통영) in 1917, and during the colonial period studied Western classical music in Korea and Japan. He was also involved … [Read More]
Year: 2009 (page 26)
Movable metal type part 2 – the move to Lead
By Matthew Jackson After the invention of movable metal type, the next stage in the evolution of printing in Korea was improving the type itself. The era of Gutenberg (1397~1468) and his achievements in Germany interestingly coincided with the life and reign of King Sejong the Great (1397~1450) in Korea. Not only were a large … [Read More]
Being and nothing-ness at Nolias Gallery
Notice of a group show by three Korean artists in Bankside: Being and Nothing-ness 27 March – 7 April 2009 (10.30 am – 6 pm) Venue: Nolias Gallery, 60 Great Suffolk St SE1 0BL Bankside Participant Artists: Youngmi Kim 김영미, Kiwoun Shin 신기운, Seunghyun Woo 우승현 curated by JW Stella 구정원 ‘Being and nothing-ness’ will … [Read More]
Three artists from Korea at the Cochrane Theatre Gallery
Details of a group exhibition at the Cochrane Theatre Gallery, part of St Martins College of Art and Design, 1 April – 8 May. Work by glass artists Sunju Park, Kyouhong Lee and Sunho Lee. The Cochrane is in Southampton Row, WC1B 4AP [Map]. Further details are available from info [at] cochranetheatre [dot] co [dot] … [Read More]
Event news: Jasmine Choi at the Wigmore
Notice of an upcoming recital at the Wigmore, including a rare opportunity to hear a work by Korean composer Yun Isang, and an exclusive deal for lucky LKL readers. Jasmine Choi – flute Ashley Wass – piano Debussy – Syrinx Reinecke – Sonata for flute and piano Op. 167 ‘Undine’ Yun – Garak Bartók – … [Read More]
Cooking with Kie-jo, part 3
Kie-jo Sarsfield continues her series of cookery lessons in April. Here’s the menu: 4th April Haemul Pajeon. (해물파전: Seafood and Spring onion Pancake) Ojingeojeot (오징어젓: Pickled Squid) Haemulggim (Seafood Stew) 18th April Sangsun Gui (Grilled fish) Sangsun Jeon (Pan-fried Fish Fillet) Bibimbab (Rice mixed with Vegetables and Beef) Korean Miso Soup with Tofu Classes generally … [Read More]
The ambassador’s blog
In honour of the Four Ambassadors evening next week, I’ve recently introduced a section into the sidebar called The Ambassador’s Blog. In this section you can find the recent headlines from the blog maintained by the UK’s ambassador to Seoul, Martin Uden (right). Well worth a visit. He recently hosted his colleague north of the … [Read More]
Two seminars at SOAS
This week SOAS Centre of Korean Studies offers a double-helping of seminars: Thursday March 19th, 5pm, **ROOM 459** Prof. Nam-lin Hur (The University of British Columbia): “Military Duty in Late Sixteenth-Century Chosŏn Korea: A System for Everything but Defense?” Friday March 20th, 5pm, ROOM G52 Dr. Howard Reid (West Park Pictures Ltd): “The History of … [Read More]
Escaping North Korea book launch
At the book launch of Escaping North Korea last week, author Mike Kim explained that he wanted the book to be “inspirational”. Having seen the huge obstacles faced by North Korean escapees, he found hope in each of their stories: “If the North Koreans can overcome their mountains, I can overcome my hill”, is the … [Read More]
Why is the British media so “negative”?
A recent article in the Chosun Ilbo, Why is the British Media Most Critical of Korean Markets? (3 March) asked why British news organisations are so negative: Following the global financial crisis last year, most of the foreign media reports that shook the Korean economy were from British news organizations. Seven out of 10 foreign … [Read More]
Korea Yearbook 2008
Korea Yearbook 2008 Eds Rüdiger Frank, James E Hoare, Patrick Köllner, Susan Pares Brill, 2009 The 2008 Korea Yearbook – Politics, Economy and Society does many of the things that a reader might expect: it contains a collection of papers which review the key developments in its chosen subject areas for the past year. At … [Read More]
Movable metal type, part 1a – Jackson fights back
Following on from some comments on his previous article about moveable metal type, which expressed some doubts as to the justification behind its hallowed status amongst Koreans, Matthew Jackson investigates further, and returns to his original conclusion that it is a unique and extraordinary contribution to world history. 1. Mechanized versus non-mechanized To say that … [Read More]
Waiting with Dae-hun Kwon
On visiting Rachmaninoffs gallery in Hackney, the main exhibits are initially familiar to those who know of Dae Hun Kwon’s (권대훈) work from his installations at I-MYU, the Bargehouse and elsewhere: white images of bare trees in a forest created by the shadows cast by tiny tabs illuminated by a slowly changing pattern of halogen … [Read More]
Korean history lecture at Senate House
Somewhat late notice of a lecture on a very particular aspect of early 20th century Korean history, at the Senate House on Thursday 12 March. Free. Institute of Historical Research, Comparative Histories of Asia Seminar: “The Print Industry in Early Modern Seoul and Pyongyang” Dr Michael D. Shin (Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, … [Read More]
Escaping North Korea: book launches for Mike Kim’s new book
A reminder of the book launch events in Oxford and London this week. In Escaping North Korea, one of the few Americans granted entry into the secretive “Hermit Kingdom,” Mike Kim came to know the isolated country and its people intimately. His North Korean friends entrusted their secrets to him as they revealed the government’s … [Read More]
Learn Korean in a London pub
Want to learn Korean in a fun and informal environment? You couldn’t do better than locate your classroom in the back room of a London boozer. For a while, the Korean Language Meetup Group has been convening occasionally at the Korean-owned Old Justice pub in Bermondsey for socialising, singing and eating. But maybe not enough … [Read More]