Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 5 May 2017, 6:30pm. It is said that at the height of his efforts to build the Republic of Korea into an economic powerhouse, Park Chung-hee happened to be flying in a helicopter over western Gyeonggi-do. He looked out and saw what he considered to be a lot of under-utilised real estate, and decided … [Read More]
Year: 2017 (page 16)
2017 travel diary 8: Taean-gun and Chollipo Arboretum
Mallipo beach, Taean-gun, Thursday 4 May 2018, 11:30pm. It was with a slight sense of adventure that I found myself unexpectedly on my own, in an unknown seaside town, at 11:30 at night. There was no way that I was going to settle down to sleep right then, so I left my pension room behind … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 7: A trip to Jeonju
Jeonju. Food capital of Korea. Slow City. Home to the famous Hanok Village. Ancestral seat of the Yi family, the royal house of the Joseon dynasty. Host of the Jeonju International Film Festival. Home to the hanji museum, the royal portrait museum… All this I knew about the capital of Jeonbuk province before my visit … [Read More]
Book review: Waxen Wings
There are plenty of anthologies of Korean translated fiction available, and many of them are edited and / or translated by Bruce Fulton, usually with Ju-Chan Fulton involved in the project too. I recently enjoyed the Fultons’ collection The Future of Silence, which reintroduced me to the format after an absence of rather too long. … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 6: a little night music at the Gyeongbokgung
Seoul, Wednesday 3 May 2017, 7pm. The beginning of May is a busy time in Seoul’s royal palaces. The UNESCO listed ceremony, the Jongmyo rituals in honour of the Royal Ancestors, always takes place the first Sunday in May. Children’s Day also falls around that time, and this year, Buddha’s Birthday and in the days … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 5: Wolbong’s hermitage and Buddha’s Birthday at Bongamsa
Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Wednesday 3rd May 2017, 4am. An early start this morning is required to beat the crowds. Slightly groggy, Master Oh, Kyung-sook and I drag ourselves into the car at 4:30am and drive for half-hour or so to Bongamsa. We get the last space in the temple’s car park. Even at that time in the … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 4: The Mungyeong tea bowl festival
Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Tuesday 2 May 2017, 1:30pm. Mungyeong Saejae, the pass high in the hills above the town of Mungyeong, is the place where Gyeongsang province meets Chungcheong province, and the place where the Yeongnamdaero – the old road between Seoul and Busan – crosses the Baekdudaegan, Korea’s mountain backbone. On the Mungyeong side of … [Read More]
Event news: Song Byeok’s debut UK exhibition + discussion evening
Connect: North Korea, a new organisation brought to you by the people behind the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea, celebrates its launch with an exhibition by North Korean exile artist Song Byeok and a discussion event: Song Byeok: Discussion evening and debut UK exhibition Exhibition: Human Rights Action Centre | 17-25 New … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 3: Sancheong – two festivals in bright pink
Donguibogam Village, Sancheong Country, Sunday 30th April, 5pm. Each time I visit Sancheong, something has changed. This time, on the edge of Donguibogam Village, Sancheong’s centre of traditional medicine culture, a comfortable hotel has been built – as far as I am aware, the first hotel (as opposed to pension) in the county. Very convenient … [Read More]
May events 2017
May is a big month for ceramics; and Youn Sun Nah celebrates her new album with a performance at Ronnie Scotts: Performance Say Sue Me are at 100 Club supporting Japanese group Otoboke Beaver on 1 May Kyung-wha Chung plays unaccompanied Bach at the Barbican on 10 May The Barberettes return to London, with Sultan of … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 2: The Gaya royal tombs in Haman County
Gaya-eup, Haman-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Sunday 30 April, 12 noon. Ever since I had seen a small ancient Gaya kingdom burial area in the hills above Saengcho, a town in Sancheong County, I had been intrigued. The tombs’ location was so different from the imposing tumuli laid out in the plains of Gyeongju or the geomantically auspicious … [Read More]
Baek Seung-hwa’s Queen of Walking is the 3rd LKFF Teaser
The LKFF Teasers this year are showing the wide range of film genres in contemporary Korean cinema. This month, a comedy. Queen of Walking (걷기왕) Director: Baek Seung-Hwa Cast: Shim Eun-Kyung, Park Joo-Hee 2016, 93 mins 7pm, Monday 22 May, Regent Street Cinema | Book here Hailed as one of the funniest Korean comedies of … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 1: Min Young-ki’s solo exhibition in Busan
Seoul Station, Saturday 29 April 2017, 12:30pm. It is the first full day of my Korea trip. I had arrived in Seoul the previous evening, catching the bus to my mid-range hotel near Jogyesa. I had found my favourite coffee shop, had dinner with good friends in Hoban, a traditional, earthy eating house in Nakwondong, … [Read More]
Event news: the 2017 International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights
News of an upcoming conference organised by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea: 2017 International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights 18 May 2017, 10am – 6pm Aldersgate Room | Central Hall Westminster | Storey’s Gate | London SW1H 9NH Register by 14 May 2017 via [email protected] On … [Read More]
That Robert Kelly BBC interview…
Gathered together in one place for your entertainment… The original live BBC interview with Robert Kelly in March 2017: A follow-up interview with the whole family: Ellen DeGeneres analyses the footage: And the best spoof I’ve come across: The Guardian has an interview with Robert Kelly here. [Read More]
Event news: Undercover in Pyongyang – a discussion at Asia House
This year’s Asia House Bagri Foundation Literature Festival brings us two talks with a Korean interest. The second of these is a discussion of North Korean issues between Suki Kim, author of Without You, There Is No Us (LKL review here) and Paul French, author of North Korea: State of Paranoia. Sin Cities: Undercover in … [Read More]