The SOAS spring seminar series kicks off this Friday, 16 January, with a talk by Nick Bonner, founder of Koryo Tours and collaborator with Daniel Gordon on three fascinating documentaries on North Korea, showing a very different side from the picture we see from reading the newspapers. The seminar will take place at 5pm in … [Read More]
Year: 2009 (page 30)
Kim Kwang Seok – a folk singer still much loved today
Saharial discovers a folk singer from the 80s. A few months ago, when I finally got my hands on the special edition of Sung Sikyung’s 6th album, I fell in love with a song called Around Thirty – one of three live additions to the CD. Keen to have it on my Cyworld as a … [Read More]
Hansel and Gretel opens in London
Hansel and Gretel screens at the ICA from 16 January, and moves to the Prince Charles on 30 January, before getting a selected nationwide release. It made an appearance at the BFI London Film Festival 2008, so if you missed it then, now’s your chance to see it. Following a car crash on a country … [Read More]
SOAS Spring Term free seminars
Here’s a list of Seminars and Lectures organised by the SOAS Centre of Korean Studies for Term 2 – 2009 The first seminar of the term is as follows: Date: Friday, January 16, 5pm Speaker: Nick Bonner, Filmmaker and founder of Koryo Tours Title: “Filming North Korea” Room: G52 Time: 5pm Contact: Jaehoon Yeon (jy1 … [Read More]
Treeless Mountain (나무없는 산, 2008) review: childhood, loss and resilience at eye level
A quietly gripping, sometimes painfully heart-breaking, and ultimately life affirming drama, Treeless Mountain provides an unmissable view of the world of the main characters, from three feet off the ground. [Read More]
According to Gallup, my favourite singer should be Jang Yoon Jeong
At least, that’s if I’m a Korean conforming to the profile of the sample selected by Gallup Korea for their 2008 K-pop poll. OK, I’m reasonably happy listening to her first album, but there are other albums I’d much prefer to have in my CD player. Jang Yoon Jeong (장윤정 – right) is the younger … [Read More]
Untold Scandal (스캔들 – 조선 남녀 상열지사, 2003) review: pleasure, power, and desire in the Joseon dynasty
Untold Scandal is easily the most sensual and sumptuous of all of the adaptations of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. A tour-de-force from beginning to end, Untold Scandal is a film which everyone should be told about. [Read More]
The Uprising (이재수의 난, 1999) review: when history drowns in endless exposition
An endless pre-occupation with forced exposition combined with a lack of character depth and, resultantly, next to no character empathy whatsoever, all adds up to The Uprising being dull from start to finish. Not only a waste of the talents of Shim Eun-ha and Lee Jung-jae but, ultimately, also rather a waste of viewers’ time… [Read More]
January events 2009
Here are the events for January 2009 as far as I know: Visual Arts I-MYU Projects participate in the London Art Fair, with work by Seahyun Lee and Hyung-geun Park, 13-18 January Illustrator and animator Son Jeongmin exhibits at I-MYU, commencing 6 January. Entry Forms continues at the KCC until 15 January The KCC celebrates … [Read More]
2009 Joint New Year Editorial: Pyongyang marches for “socialist fairyland”
The BBC yesterday published the above photo of a demonstration in Pyongyang in support of the DPRK’s traditional joint New Year editorial. Here’s the some of the text from the KCNA website. Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) — Rodong Sinmun, Josoninmingun and Chongnyonjonwi Thursday issued a joint editorial titled “Glorify this year as a year of … [Read More]
Kim Yoon Ah #2: Glass Mask
T Entertainment, 2004 Kim Yoon Ah (김윤아) is the lead vocalist from Jaurim. Her first solo outing was in 2001 with the well-received Shadow of your Smile. And if LKL had been around in 2004, this follow-up album would have been a strong contender for album of the year. The opening track, engineered to sound … [Read More]
The World’s Oldest Woodblock Print
Matthew Jackson explores another of Korea’s contributions to world culture The first printing presses were made out of wood. The process of woodblock printing emerged in the East during the 8th century. For some time, the earliest woodblock print was believed to be a copy of the Diamond Sutra, discovered at Dunhuang in China by … [Read More]
Exhibition news: Lost and Found at Rokeby Gallery
An interesting exhibition to start the New Year. The press release follows: Lost and Found 9 January – 7 February 2009 Rokeby Gallery | 37 Store Street | London WC1E 7QF | www.rokebygallery.com | [Map] Gallery closed Sunday and Monday. ROKEBY is pleased to present Lost and Found, an exhibition curated by Jiyoon Lee. The … [Read More]
LKL 2008 Quiz of the year – the answers
The answers to the teasers posed just before the New Year. 1 Stressful times What does the current credit crunch and the most recent DPRK nuclear test have in common? a) the media blame them on an incompetent government who should have seen it coming and somehow prevented it b) they would both cause a … [Read More]