A busy month for music, with a two-day conference at SOAS, a tour from Jambinai and the first Korean Sounds concert, among many other things. In addition, this month marks the third anniversary of the Sewol sinking, and there are at least three commemorative events that I know of so far, with probably more that I don’t.
Film
- The KCC’s next series of in-house screenings features the theme of immigration. Burmese on the Roof (Dirs Oh Hyun-jin, Ko Duhyin, 2016) opens the season on 27 April.
- There’s another chance to see Park Chan-wook’s cut of Handmaiden on 8 April – 22 minutes longer than the theatrical release. The normal release is screening for a week at the Lexi Cinema starting 21 April, with a midnight screening of Oldboy on 21-22 April.
- Kim Jee-woon’s The Age of Shadows is still showing in London until 6 April
- The second teaser screening for the London Korean Film Festival is Lee Eon-hee’s Missing (미씽: 사라진 여자, 2015), on 10 April.
- Marking the third anniversary of the ferry sinking, Jeong Ok-hee’s documentary Sewol will be screened on 8 April.
- For 24 hours only, on 16 April Korean time, the documentary After the Sewol by British filmmakers Neil George and Matt Root will be available to watch on Vimeo for KRW2,000.
- Robert Cannan’s and Ross Adam’s documentary The Lovers and the Despot about Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee is available to view on BBC iPlayer until 18 April.
- A charity screening of a documentary about North Korea’s Jangmadang Generation is due to take place on 18 April.
Music
- The first Korean Sounds concert of the year is at King’s Place on 12 April.
- Minjung Baek gives a piano recital in Petersham on 2 April
- Club Inegales hosts one of their unique concerts on 18 April as part of the SOAS two-day conference on East Asian music.
- Jambinai has a UK tour with appearances in Bristol (23 April), Glasgow (25th) and London (26th)
- The KCC’s monthly House Concert features Hyungi Lee (Percussion), on 25 April
- Joo Yeon Sir performs The Lark Ascending at the Last Night of the Spring Proms on 29 April
- ELO and DJ Pumkin perform on 17 April
- There are K-pop party nights on 14 April and 30 April
Exhibitions
- 1 April is your last chance to catch the Haenyeo exhibition at the National Maritime Museum and the Lee Jaehyo show at Albemarle.
- The next KCC exhibition is Eom Jeongwon’s 1:60 opening on 3 April.
Talks and other events
- SOAS hosts a two-day conference on East Asian music, Presence Through Sound, 18-19 April
- Seoul Mayor Park Wonsoon is in town on 3 April
- An evening entitled Empowerment and Integration: Support for North Korean Exiles is taking place in New Malden on 5 April.
- The third anniversary Sewol silent protest takes place on 15 April.
- The impeachment of Park Geun-hye is the topic of a discussion at The Frontline Club, 19 April
- The KCC’s Korean Literature Night on 26 April discusses The Story of Hong Gildong.