Popular in Germany, and now on their way to London: B.A.P – Live On Earth London 2014 O2 Academy Brixton Sun 27 April 14 Door time: 7.00pm Show time: 8.00pm It’s B.A.P’s first live appearance in Europe! B.A.P, which stands for Best, Absolute, Perfect, is one of Korea’s most successful bands of our time. Get … [Read More]
Month: March 2014
Park Hoon-jung interview: stories from real life
Park Hoon-jung discusses his approach to screenwriting and directing, prioritising story and character over genre, drawing inspiration from Korean society and politics, and embracing budget constraints. He reflects on violence, power structures, collaboration with directors, adapting scripts to actors, and the evolution of his craft from writer to filmmaker. [Read More]
In pictures: Leonard Johansson — Confessions of an Opium Eater, at Hanmi Gallery
Hanmi Gallery’s latest exhibition – on for a month, which is twice as long as most of their previous shows – features Leonard Johansson, who is based is London and of Swedish and Korean parents. Johansson takes his inspiration from Thomas De Quincey’s account of his quest for heightened experiences through substance abuse. In the … [Read More]
Killer Toon (더 웹툰: 예고살인, 2013) review: webtoon horror meets familiar ghostly vengeance
Killer Toon starts strongly – an interesting premise deftly realised with the help of exquisitely dark, stunning webtoon visuals – and though the film somewhat loses its way in its middle section, ultimately it stands as an engaging addition to the Korean horror film genre; complete with several perfectly creepy moments along the way. [Read More]
Park Seungmo – solo show at HADA Contemporary
A new direction for Park Seungmo: very different work in a solo exhibition at HADA Contemporary. Park Seungmo: Solo exhibition 3 – 27 APRIL 2014 HADA Contemporary | 21 Vyner Street | London | E2 9DG | www.hadacontemporary.com Wednesday – Friday: 11am – 6pm | Saturday – Sunday: 11am – 4pm HADA Contemporary is pleased … [Read More]
Book review: Lee Ki-ho — At Least we can Apologize
Lee Ki-ho: At Least We Can Apologize Translated by Christopher J Dykas Dalkey Archive, 2013, 185pp Originally published as 사과는 잘해요, 2009 What do you do to make money when you have a limited set of skills? In this dark comedy the two central characters, who find themselves unexpectedly set free from a mysterious mental … [Read More]
Between the lines — Work by Jihee Kim, at cueB Gallery
Following on from Jihee Kim’s solo show in St Pancras’s crypt last summer, she now has a solo show down in Brockley, SE4, a quick train ride from London Bridge, opening this Friday. Between the lines — Work by Jihee Kim An exhibition curated by Franco la Russa 28th March – 27th April 2014 Private … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Ha Young Kim’s Modern Soup at 43 Inverness Street
The first exhibition of 2014 at 43 Inverness Street drew to a close last weekend: their second solo show by Ha Young Kim. Gallery director Suzie Lee talks about the work and its reception in the below video: The opening of the exhibition was a festive affair, with daegeum player Hyelim Kim performing behind Ha … [Read More]
Leonard Johansson: Confessions of an Opium Eater — at Hanmi Gallery
Hanmi Gallery’s 33rd interim exhibition is by Swedish-Korean artist Leonard Johansson. Leonard Johansson: Confessions of an Opium Eater 28 March – 27 April 2014, Every day 12-7pm Preview: Thursday 27 March Hanmi Gallery | 30 Maple Street | London | W1T 6HA | www.hanmigallery.co.uk Hanmi Gallery is pleased to present Confessions of an Opium Eater, … [Read More]
Book review: Jungu Yoon — Spirituality in Contemporary Art
For a westerner struggling to understand some of the spiritual or mystical elements in both traditional and contemporary Asian art there is a huge barrier in that Taoism and other Eastern philosophies are not something that we have lived with since our childhood. The concepts of the void and non-existence, and the idea that blank … [Read More]
UN launches its report on human rights in North Korea
On 17 February the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched the report of its findings. On 17 March the Chair of the Commission, Michael Kirby, formally presented it to the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Commission “found systematic, widespread and … [Read More]
Kim Yuna’s Lark of Emergency and other popular classics
Browsing in the Hankyoreh yesterday I came across some charming pictures of Queen Yuna. This particular one, with the famous yellow logo on the CD cover … … got me googling for Deutsche Grammophon compilations of Kim’s backing tracks. And I came across this: Scrolling down to the tracklist I find that the label hasn’t … [Read More]
The BKVA Annual Report 2013-14
The following is the text of the annual report of the British Korean Veterans Association, as presented to the AGM of the newly-named British Korean Society. This is likely to be the last such report, for reasons which will become apparent as you read the following paragraphs. Chairman’s Report to the AGM of the Anglo-Korean … [Read More]
Ki Hyoung Tak: Loyalty, at Mokspace
Notice of the next exhibition at Mokspace, from 27 March, featuring the Senior Director of Photography at the Hankyoreh newspaper. The excellent ceramics exhibition by Sun Ae Kim finishes this Saturday, 22 March. Ki Hyoung Tak: Loyalty – The story of Mount Cho-An 27th March – 12th April 2014 Opening night: Wednesday 26th March 6.00 … [Read More]
Book review: Mark James Russell — K-POP Now!
If the only thing you know about K-pop is Gangnam Style, this book is for you. And even for someone who knows a bit about the subject, this is a handy book to browse. For me, as an occasional lurker and puzzled observer in K-pop fan forums, there were several moments of minor revelation. Ah, … [Read More]
CORD – CELL – CUBE: Bongsu Park at rosenfeld porcini
Something I just spotted via Facebook: a new collaboration by Park Bongsu. Those who went to her solo show in Mokspace will remember some video work involving a pair of dancers. This is an opportunity to see a new work live, with three dancers. Booking is essential: CORD – CELL – CUBE by Bongsu Park … [Read More]