North Korea's football manager Kim Jong-hun has been punished for his country’s World Cup flop by being made to work on a building site for up to 14 hours a day. Says The Sun: Kim Jong-Hun was being punished for “betraying the trust of Kim Jong-Un”. http://bit.ly/bVfZLx # [Read More]
Month: July 2010
2010 Travel Diary #30: Daewonsa – early morning prayers and sutra painting
Friday 7 May. I wake up at 3 o’clock. My body seems to be ready for early morning prayers even though I hadn’t signed up for them. I wanted to hear those moktaks and chants again, so I crawl into my clothes and stumble out to the main temple courtyard to wait for the prayers … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #29: Daewonsa – the 9 o’clock meditation
Thursday 6 May. I’m not sure if the monks do their 108 bows every day. If they do, we did not see it because we did our bows in a separate chapel. And if they do, I’m sure they don’t listen to that CD when they’re doing it. But I was expecting the 9 o’clock … [Read More]
Traditional Korean Medicine in Korean Culture #1: Ondol and Samgyetang
Korea is a country of contrasts and contradictions, in which seeming opposites can coexist in harmony with each other: it is a developed modern country with a high standard of living while keeping traditions alive at the same time; it has world-leading technology, but it is not uncommon for people to consult a shaman for … [Read More]
Remembering the Battle of the Imjin at the KCC
“I’ve met Tom Cruise, and now I’ve met Sam Mercer. And when I met Sam I was truly star-struck. The man’s a legend.” So said a member of the audience at the Korean Cultural Centre after an instructive talk by Andrew Salmon on the battle of the Imjin on 15 July. Sam Mercer was sitting … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #28: Daewonsa – the 108 Bows
Thursday 6 May. The time has arrived for the 108 bows. Strangely, we are told to meet in the car park. But that’s where a large side chapel has recently been built, mainly to minister to visitors on the temple stay programme. The chapel at the moment has none of the internal decoration of the … [Read More]
My Father’s Son – The resurrection of Cha Du-ri
Aashish Gadhvi rolls the red carpet out for the latest Korean footballer to his the British Isles. Glasgow Celtic have officially made themselves an unofficial Korea Town by signing their second Korean star in the form of right back Cha Du-ri. This is to add to their collection which already consisted of midfield dynamo Ki … [Read More]
Fashion & Passion: Knitting Design at the KCC
News of an unusual exhibition at the KCC, starting today: The 12th KSKD Knit Invitational Exhibition 2010: “Fashion & Passion”, 26th July – 31st July 2010 at the Korean Cultural Centre, London, UK. KSKD stands for Korean Society of Knitting Design which aims to encourage access to knitwear design trends in various different ways. KSKD … [Read More]
“Veteran” Baek Ji-young’s fashion retail interests
When does a female entertainer become a “veteran”? Baek Ji-young, “veteran singer”, models some of the casual wear available in her online clothes store (via the Chosun Ilbo). http://bit.ly/absixK #. Her own lingerie line coming soon. [Read More]
Kang Woo-seok first director to get 30 million audience
Kang Woo-suk (of Silmido fame) is the most popular director in Korean box office history according to KOFIC: he has exceeded the 30-million viewer mark http://bit.ly/91Sabj #. With a career which started in 1988 (Sweet Brides) and the Public Enemy series behind him, the audience numbers have been accumulating nicely. [Read More]
BoA in long-awaited comeback
I can’t believe it’s five years since “Girls on Top”. BoA will soon release her 6th Korean album, entitled Hurricane Venus. http://bit.ly/bIWVeT #. This is a comeback worthy of the name. [Read More]
SNSD at an East Coast resort – a Korean man’s favourite holiday
Korean men want to go on holiday with Girls’ Generation, according to a KBS survey. Now that’s being greedy. http://bit.ly/a4zZ4O # And while on the subject of holidays: doing the arithmetic, does this mean around 6-7 million Koreans will be heading to the East Coast at the end of July? http://bit.ly/9HYiuk #. (47% of a … [Read More]
DPRK fined for supporting 1972 Israel terror attacks
Well, the North Koreans don’t pay their parking tickets http://bit.ly/9L6j6j so I don’t think they’re going to pay their $300m fine for supporting terror attacks in Israel in 1972 http://bit.ly/b2VKnv # [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #27: Daewonsa – the magic at sundown
Thursday 6 May 2010. A monk sits in the corner of the room, brewing yellow tea, while we sit on the floor around the main table. Perfectly ripe fruits are laid out in front of us, including some of Sancheong’s famous strawberries. The conversation rumbles on, I’m not sure about what, because it was all … [Read More]
Seeing: 5 female artists from Korea
News of an upcoming exhibition at the Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, London, W1T 4RJ, 2 – 7 August. Seeing: 5 female artists from Korea Artists: Honey Im, Hyemin Park, Jeehee Park, Jihee Kim, Woorim Chu Duration: From 2nd to 7th of August 2010 Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8:30 am – 6:30 pm Private … [Read More]
Soon Yul’s Journey To Infinity: The Art Of Soon Yul Kang
by Paul O’Kane For London’s Artspace gallery, South Korean artist Soon Yul Kang exhibits a display of tapestries along with some paintings and collages. The works date from the mid-1990s to the present. The Artspace gallery has two rectangular floors, upstairs and downstairs, and on each of these Soon Yul and her curator have lined … [Read More]