London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Event news: the hottest K-food in London

The South Korean embassy is organising a Korean food promotional event on 1 November. The Taste of Korea Victoria Centre @ Westminster Kingsway College 76 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PD 10:30am ~ 3:30pm Tuesday 1st November 2016 Register here by 20 October The Hottest K-food in London is organised by the Embassy of the Republic … [Read More]

Train to Busan (부산행, 2016) review: zombies, corporate self-interest and a relentless ride

A father and daughter’s train journey becomes a fight for survival when a zombie outbreak erupts onboard. Combining ferocious, fast-moving undead with humour, emotional stakes and critiques of corporate selfishness, Train to Busan delivers white-knuckle intensity, crowd-pleasing thrills and a rare balance of spectacle and human drama. Miss it at your peril. [Read More]

Brief review: Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden

I’ll leave others to do the detailed review of Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden (아가씨), which screened at the London Film Festival this week and which will return later in the month at the London East Asia Film Festival. Suffice it to say that it’s gorgeous-looking, both in terms of costume and interiors, great story-telling and totally … [Read More]

Brief review: Train to Busan

What can you say about Train to Busan that hasn’t already been said? When everyone tells you it’s a fantastic thrill-ride you try to go into the screening with lowered expectations just in case everyone is delusional and you come away disappointed. No need to fear. It’s pretty much non-stop entertainment from start to finish, … [Read More]

LEAFF 2016 focuses on Jeonju film fest

One of the strands to be introduced by the London East Asia Film Festival is a focus on individual festivals in the region. In collaboration with the Institute for Contemporary Arts, who will be screening this strand on Saturday and Sunday mornings during the festival, the focus for the first year is the Jeonju International … [Read More]

Event news: DGC K-pop dance show #10

DGC Dance run weekly K-pop dance classes at Fitness First venues in the City and put on a big show every 6 months or so. Coming up this Sunday, their 10th such show. Looks fun. DATE: Sunday 9th October 2016, 2pm – 5.30pm Doors open 2pm. Show starts 2.30pm VENUE: Stratford Circus Arts Centre (C1 … [Read More]

Autumn 2016 seminars at SOAS

Here are the seminars announced for the Autumn 2016 season at SOAS. Check www.soas.ac.uk/koreanstudies/events/ for updates. 30/09/16 Typewriters vs. Coffee: How Did Korean Women Take over the Job of Secretaries? Dr. Eunju Bährisch (Warwick University) 07/10/16 Maths and Maps: Aggregate Variation in Korean Simon Barnes-Sadler (SOAS, University of London) 14/10/16 From Across the Genkai Sea: … [Read More]

October events 2016

It’s a great month for music and film. And not a bad one for zombies. Film The BFI London Film Festival has three must-see films: Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing, E J-yong’s Bacchus Lady and Park Chan-wook’s Handmaiden, plus a short: Keep Going by Geon Kim. The London Korean Film Festival has the final teaser screening … [Read More]

Kang Ik-joong’s Floating Dreams: the stories

As Kang Ik-joong said of his installation on the Thames: his motive in collecting drawings from the North Koreans displaced by the Korean War was actually to collect their stories. Here are some of those stories, as shared on the Totally Thames website. Park Yun Ok (age 95) http://totallythames.org/blog/floating-dreams-one-dream-many-stories “My name is Park Yun Ok. … [Read More]