PSY has thrashed the lot of them when it comes to YouTube views. And now he’s up against KARA, SiSTAR and 4Minute in the Soju Wars. According to Koreabang, Jinro’s Chamiseul outsells Lotte’s Cheoeum Cheoreom by almost 3 to 1. PSY has now signed up to promote Jinro, while Hara, Hyolyn and HyunA have just … [Read More]
Year: 2012 (page 4)
Book review: Modern Korean Literature — An Anthology 1908-65
Modern Korean Literature: An Anthology 1908-1965 Edited by Chung Chong-wha Routledge / Kegan Paul International, 1995, 467pp If you are looking to sample Korean literature in translation, the chances are that you’ll find more short stories than full length novels. This collection, though not universally enjoyable, is extremely useful in giving an overview of the … [Read More]
Lee Jinhan: I eat I vomit — at HADA Contemporary
After Kim Ha-young’s Eat All You Can at Hoxton Gallery earlier this year comes another binge-eating themed exhibition: Lee Jinhan at HADA Contemporary. Lee Jinhan I EAT I VOMIT 6 DECEMBER 2012 – 31 JANUARY 2013 Hada Contemporary is pleased to present the first UK solo exhibition by Lee Jinhan showcasing her new works. Lee … [Read More]
오방색 O BANG SAEK: the 5th Korean Artists Association event at the KCC
The annual exhibition and performance by the Korean Artists Association UK at the KCC opens 28 November, lasting until 4 December. 오방색 O BANG SAEK An Exhibition & Performance by The Korean Artists Association UK Korean Cultural Centre UK 28th Nov. – 4th Dec. Opening Reception Wed. 28th Nov 2012 6.30 – 8.30 pm Performance … [Read More]
Film Festival Highlight: Eungyo – A poet looks into his glass
Korea’s most famous poet, Lee Jeok-yo, is well into old age. He has taken as a student cum in-house assistant an aspiring but not very talented novelist called Seo Ji-woo. A neighbouring high school girl starts takes a cleaning job at the poet’s house, and a connection soon forms between the poet and the young … [Read More]
Moral didactic literature and diversity in 1950s North Korea
(A sketchy write-up of the talk How does the rise of moral didactic literature fit into narratives of North Korean history? given by Andre Schmid (University of Toronto) at SOAS on 16 November 2012) When we think of North Korea, we mostly look at it through a 21st Century lens, and are tempted to think … [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Masquerade deserved all the awards it got
It swept the board at the recent Grand Bell awards – best film, best director and best leading actor among them. And for all-round entertainment, the closing film of the London Korean Film Festival 2012 deserved all those awards. Was a uniquely reformist tax policy set by a pantomime performer who was pretending to be … [Read More]
Grace Yeo performs at the Purcell Room
A recital by pianist Grace Yeo, award winner of the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, who recently had her debut at the Wigmore Hall. The recital is at the Purcell Room on Monday 3 Dec 2012 at 7:45pm. Admission is FREE but ticketed – call FREEPHONE 0800 652 6717 to reserve your free tickets. Programme: Brahms: … [Read More]
Choo Chang-min and Ryoo Seung-ryong interview: Masquerade – history with a modern voice
Director Choo Chang-min and actor Ryoo Seung-ryong discuss their involvement in Masquerade, exploring the appeal of period drama, the story’s modern relevance, casting well-known and emerging actors, artistic freedom, and the different challenges posed by physically demanding versus more restrained roles. [Read More]
Lee Byung-hun interview: “if you were a king, what would you do?”
Lee Byung-hun reflects on the appeal of Masquerade’s politically open-ended story, balancing humour with seriousness, and the challenges of acting across cultures in Hollywood. He discusses star power versus emerging talent, the value of criticism, and why Korean language and culture remain his strongest creative foundation. [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Spring Snow — on the value of the priceless
Spring Snow, the final film of this year’s London Korean Film Festival, was shown at London’s ICA on November 11. The film falls into a Korean tradition of documentary drama films such as Lee Man-hee’s A Day Off. Kim Soon-ok, played very well by Yoon Suk Hwa (윤석화), is an aging mother and wife. She … [Read More]
K-film at the BFI London Film Fest: A Fish — mysterious, tantalising and rewarding
What a stunning first film. Park Hong-min is still a graduate student at Dongguk University, but this debut is amazingly confident. A truly mysterious creation which has you wondering throughout what is going on, and when it finishes you want to watch it again immediately to see if it makes more sense the second time … [Read More]
I have no reason to drink Cheoeum Cheoreom any more
The average soju you get in London Korean restaurants is all much of a muchness. You either take whatever is on the drinks list, or, if you have a choice, you choose the one advertised by your favourite soju girl. And now that Lotte has parted company with Lee Hyori after five years advertising Cheoeum … [Read More]
Ko Un featured in the Guardian
Korean poetry in translation isn’t much featured on the web anywhere, so when a major UK broadsheet features Ko Un, Korea’s most famous poet, together with his Cornish translator Brother Anthony, it is a cause for celebration. The Guardian has a nice piece on his appearance at the Aldeburgh poetry festival (3-4 November), which is … [Read More]
The presidential election: a fascinating race (part 2)
The fascinating race continues! The latest news from the South Korean presidential election campaign is the potential alliance between the liberal Democratic United Party candidate, Moon Jae-in, and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. This joining of forces would pose a serious threat to conservative candidate Park Geun-hye, who has led in the polls for some time. … [Read More]
Adam Cathcart at SOAS: Sino-North Korean relations in 1940s and 1950s
The fourth of this season’s free seminars at SOAS: Sino-North Korean relations in the borderland regions in the 1940s and early 1950s Adam Cathcart (Queen’s University, Belfast) Date: 23 November 2012 Time: 5:15 PM Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings Room: G50 Abstract Sino-North Korean relations in the borderland regions in the 1940s and early 1950s … [Read More]