Following the historic session in the Houses of Parliament last year, the Anglo-Korean Society is doing a follow-up. So far, our men in Pyongyang and Seoul, plus Seoul’s man in London, are confirmed speakers. Who knows whether Ambassador Ja from north of the DMZ will complete the quartet? ANGLO – KOREAN SOCIETY JOINT PRESIDENTS H.E. … [Read More]
Year: 2010 (page 24)
Double entry, poison and murder: historical sources examined at SOAS
LKL reports from the 21 May conference at SOAS – Historians, clerks and accountants: Methodological issues in the use of sources on Chosŏn History. The one-day seminar at SOAS examined the value and danger of using alternative historical sources. The types of sources discussed ranged from family and guild accounting records, via personal travelogues, ancient … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #15: Korean Kites, Kim Ki-chan and Cho Se-hui’s Dwarf
Tuesday 4 May 2010. Although I’m very proud of the organisation I work for – a multinational company with a long heritage – I try to keep my Korean hobby and my day job separate. But I thought that as I was in Seoul I ought to pay a visit to some of my local … [Read More]
Korean Art PhD: ‘Picturing Migration: Presenting Art Works By Artists From South Korea Working In Britain, 2006-2008’
LKL contributor Dr Beccy Kennedy gives a flavour of what she has been working on for the past couple of years. ‘…memory organizes representations of the past into a structured sequence that produces a consciousness of an identity through time.’ (1) The visual and spoken cultural and social perspectives of South Korean artists living and … [Read More]
Lee Ufan and Paik Nam June in Christies sale
Two Paik Nam June works and a Lee Ufan come up for sale at Christie’s on 1 July at the King Street branch http://bit.ly/9PurZ9 # : Lee Ufan (b. 1936): Correspondence. Oil and mineral pigment on canvas, 63¾ x 51 1/8in. (162 x 130cm.) Painted in 1995 Nam June Paik (1932-2006): Untitled. TV, neon tubing, … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #14: Seoul as World Design City
Tuesday 4 May 2010. More interviews today. First, the Seoul Design Foundation. We enter an anonymous office block, and ascend to the ninth floor. Exiting the lifts, the signature colour on the wall is the fashionable lime green which seems to be used in all this year’s kitchen design catalogues. It’s a busy office, with … [Read More]
The Korea Promotional Video competition
Check out 10 Magazine’s Korean Promotional Video competition. Great fun. Winning entry is number 13, by Michael Aronson. http://bit.ly/cuEbiv # [Read More]
Book review: Life on the Edge of the DMZ
Lee See-woo: Life on the Edge of the DMZ Global Oriental, 2008 Translated by Kim Myung-hee I’ve been dipping in and out of this fascinating though often overly complex book by peace activist Lee Si-Woo. It’s sometimes hard to tell whether the English translation – for the most part unfussy – is sometimes too literal, … [Read More]
Gyeongju rooftile in BBC History of the World
BBC’s History of the World in 100 objects: a humble Silla Dynasty roof tile from Gyeongju is featured at number 49: http://bit.ly/bKaU1d #. From the British Museum’s permanent collection. [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #13: Jogyesa and Insadong
Monday 3 May 2010. From Gangnam I’m driven back to my hotel near Gwanghwamun. Lunch that day had been difficult to face – particularly the fermented skate: unpleasant enough at the best of times, but distinctly dangerous if you’re feeling badly hung over. Even in the evening I’m still suffering from the previous day’s festivities, … [Read More]
Love the vuvuzela
Precisely how many "official" Red Devils supporters outfits ARE there? http://bit.ly/9Yxdjx #. There seems to be a new one in the papers every day. [Read More]
Girl bands to be used as psychological warfare?
I love the idea: girl band pop videos to be used in psychological warfare against the North? "The revealing outfits worn by the performers and their provocative dances could have significant impact on North Korean Soldiers" the Chosun Ilbo speculates. http://bit.ly/dbiVx4 # [Read More]
Korean ceramic tea bowls and tea culture
Eunjung Shin continues her series on themes from the past, inspired by objects in the British Museum’s Korea Gallery. One thousand years ago, drinking tea was an important social activity in Buddhist Korea. After Buddhism was introduced from China in the 4th century it flourished up until the end of the Koryo dynasty (935-1392) in … [Read More]
Gunwoo Shin marks the end of his year’s free studio space
Hadn't realised that Gunwoo Shin had a Land Securities Studio Award: free studio space for a year. Tonight was his closing show, near Victoria station. Congratulations. # [Read More]
Seeing Beyond Seoul: Travels in South Korea
Jennifer Barclay, author of Meeting Mr Kim: Or How I Went to Korea and Learned to Love Kimchi, will be talking about some of her travels at the Korean Cultural Centre this month. Jennifer is a contributor to London Korean Links, and there should be several other LKL contributors present in the audience as well. … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #12: A Meeting with Sorea
Monday 3 May 2010. In an unprepossessing building in a small backstreet in trendy Gangnam is a compact office which manages a gugak fusion band which briefly caught the spirit of a nation. At the height of the Korea, Sparkling promotional campaign, when the Korean Tourism Organisation was promoting Korea as a place with ancient … [Read More]