I tweeted last Saturday (thanks to Anna at Indieful ROK) that Korean acid jazz / jazz-pop band Winterplay were coming to perform at the KCC as part of their trip to London for the Thames Festival. The news was broken by 10Asia, and now the details have been confirmed by the KCC. Winterplay’s agency is … [Read More]
Year: 2010 (page 14)
Seal-maker deceived his Sancheong hosts
This makes me sad. Sancheong County was very proud of its association with the presidential seal. Now we discover that the seal-maker wasn’t all he promised to be. http://bit.ly/ayUI3W # [Read More]
Variations on Jang Sun-woo
Tony Rayns tells us in his KOFIC book about Jang Sung-woo that he once interviewed the famous director naked in a jjimjilbang. Rayns’s documentary film about Jang, entitled the Jang Sung-woo Variations, is bookended by extracts from the interview, with Jang being given a relaxing back massage; and in between are other extracts of the … [Read More]
Women is the Future of Man, with Hong Sang-soo Q&A in Cambridge
Fresh from his win at Cannes, award-winning filmmaker Hong Sang-soo receives his first ever retrospective in the UK (BFI Southbank) on the eve of his Venice debut. “Arguably Korea’s finest filmmaker of the last decade” Time Out. “Hong Sang-soo is a great director…. his films make us less stupid. (They) endow narrative with a complexity … [Read More]
Chasing Money: The Scam screens at the KCC
We’re now on to the 55th free screening at the KCC. This week, it’s: The Scam 7pm, Thursday 9th September Director: Lee Ho-jae Cast: Park Yong-ha, Kim Min-jeong Genre: Action / Crime Certificate: 15 (South Korea) Running Time: 114 mins Venue: The Korean Cultural Centre UK Ground Floor, Grand Buildings 1-3 Strand, London WC2N 5BW … [Read More]
Korea’s top films and directors of the decade: the definitive list?
Over the course of this year various people have published their list of top 10 Korean films of the last decade. Here at LKL, we’ve collected those lists, analysed them and come up with a poll of polls – if you like, the definitive list: at least, that is, until another critic weighs in with … [Read More]
KOFIC releases Lee Man-hee box set
Box set of classic Lee Man-hee films, including Marines who Never Returned. A must-buy. http://tinyurl.com/2u6vukv # [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #38: Return to Seoul
The final installments of LKL’s trip to Korea at the beginning of May Saturday 8 May 2010. We are back in Seoul in good time. At the start of the week, I hadn’t known what my Sancheong schedule was going to look like: my friend Kyung-sook had managed to secure an extra day or so … [Read More]
On the Line: photo exhibition commemorating the Korean War
Press release for the upcoming exhibition at the KCC: ROK Ministry of National Defense Hosts “On the Line” Photo Exhibition in United Kingdom to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War 10 Renowned Korean Photographers Present their stories on the on-going war Exhibition Dates : 8 September – 25 September 2010 On September 8th … [Read More]
All Eyes on Korea at the Thames Festival 2010
Returning to the Festival for a fourth year, the Korean Cultural Centre UK present All Eyes on Korea, a celebration of Korean culture in Jubilee Gardens. Leading talents from a wide range of Korean arts and cultural groups have been selected and include extreme dance comedy from Break Out – an energetic extravaganza, returning to … [Read More]
September events 2010
So many highlights this month it’s difficult to know where to start. Film Hong Sang-soo is in town for a complete retrospective of his work at the BFI South Bank. A cut down version of the retrospective will be touring the nation. Q&A on 3 September in London after Ha Ha Ha, and one at … [Read More]
Nah Youn Sun’s second European release: Same Girl
Here at LKL we’re pretty excited about an upcoming CD release from our favourite female singer, Nah Youn Sun, on the ACT label. If you can’t wait for the European release, you can catch the Korean release at YesAsia. Same Girl Released 27th September 2010 At Youn Sun Nah’s 2009 debut in Munich’s Unterfahrt jazz … [Read More]
Buddhist art collection for sale
The largest collection of Korean Buddhist paintings outside of Korea starts to come under the hammer at Christie's: The Jerry Lee Musslewhite Collection of Korean Art http://bit.ly/aCYEqu # [Read More]
Kill Me (킬 미, 2009) review: a hitman, a deathwish, and an unlikely romantic comedy
While the concept of a hardened hitman gradually falling in love with his intended target is certainly nothing new, director Yang Jong-hyeon brings a freshness to the idea by turning it completely (and literally) on its head, allowing the film successfully to step away from predictability to become something much more original and memorable. [Read More]
Five Royal Tombs. Destination: Seooreung (Goyang)
A few days ago LKL wrote about a Silla dynasty royal tomb in Sancheong County: the Last King of Kaya. Power K-blogger Chris Backe reports on a visit to five Joseon dynasty royal tombs in Goyang Just across the Seoul border rest some once-royal dead people. UNESCO certified as being significant to world culture, these … [Read More]
Hanbok designs by Park Sul-nyeo in aquarium fashion shoot
The flowing lines of hanbok take on a new meaning in this underwater fashion show celebrating the opening of the Lotte Department Store at Cheongnyangni Station, Seoul. Beautiful. http://bit.ly/9Ec5JC # Hanbok designs by Park Sul-nyeo. All photos via Yonhap / Reuters [Read More]