In general, I tend not to read much literary fiction. If I’m reading stuff which is unrelated to Korea, it’s likely to be either non-fiction or easy reading – a detective story or something reasonably lightweight. When it comes to Korea-related reading, until relatively recently the balance has again been in favour of non-fiction. But … [Read More]
Year: 2017 (page 3)
Review: Eun Me Ahn’s Let Me Change Your Name
Often when I go along to an event which I suspect will be good, I try to manage my expectations downwards. If I succeed in persuading myself that the thing may be quite mediocre then at worst I won’t be disappointed and at best I will be delighted when the event surpasses expectation. With Eun … [Read More]
Babbling Comedy comes to Soho Theatre for the festive season
Team Ongals comes to the West End to keep us entertained throughout the festive season. Ongals: Babbling Comedy Mon 4 Dec 2017 – Sat 6 Jan 2018, 6.30pm. Matinees Saturdays 9, 16, 23, 30 Dec, and 6 Jan & Thu 21, Fri 22, Wed 27, Thu 28 and Fri 29 Dec, 2pm Soho Theatre | … [Read More]
Asian Sounds Project inside Thames Tunnel
Jihye Kim, Beibei Wang and Belle Chen perform in a pretty unusual location: Asian Sound Project: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd November 2017, 7:30pm £10 full price / £5 student or concession Brunel Museum | Railway Avenue | Rotherhithe | London SE16 4LF More information: http://www.brunel-museum.org.uk/events/asian-sound-project-metal-wood-water-fire-earth/ Alcoholic drinks and light … [Read More]
A few links relating to Trump’s visit
A few links relating to President Trump’s visit to Seoul before they are too out of date: His hosts used an official dinner to score two foreign policy points over the Japanese: One of the guests was former comfort woman Lee Yong-soo and the Japanese were said not to have appreciated it when Trump embraced … [Read More]
Book review: Han Yujoo – The Impossible Fairy Tale
Han Yujoo: The Impossible Fairy Tale translated by Janet Hong Graywolf Press, MN, USA 192pp / Tilted Axis Press, UK 352pp / 2017 Originally published as 불가능한 동화 (pub 문학과지성사, 2013) Sometimes, I like having my brain stretched when reading a book: something to get stuck into, to make me think. But there are limits. I … [Read More]
Pachinko featured in New York Times
There’s a nice feature on Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko in last weekend’s New York Times. I enjoyed the book myself though never got around to writing a review. It’s a very different work from her first novel, Free Food for Millionaires, which I described as a combination of Sex and the City and Wall Street, and … [Read More]
Sunju Lee: Enfolded Surface, at The Muse gallery
The Muse Gallery presents: Sun Ju Lee: Enfolded Surface The Muse Gallery | 269 Portobello Rd | London W11 1LR | www.themuseat269.com 30 Nov – 24 Dec 2017 Opening Night 30.11, 6.30-9.00pm Sun Ju Lee’s works compel us to move. Hundreds of monofilament wires wound around a frame glisten with shapes that emerge and disappear, … [Read More]
KCC’s November House Concert features Jinah Shim (piano)
News of this month’s House Concert at the Korean Cultural Centre KCC House Concert with Jinah Shim (Piano) Tuesday 28 November, 7pm | Reception Hall, KCCUK Admission is free, but booking is required RSVP to [email protected] / 020 7004 2600 Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816 Beethoven: Sonata No. 15 in … [Read More]
Festival film review: Becoming who I was
Nine years ago Moon Chang-yong and Jeon Jin were in Ladakh, Kashmir – a mountainous region 100 miles or so northeast of where the Dalai Lama lives, and less than 50 miles from Tibet’s westernmost extremity. They were filming a documentary about practitioners of traditional medicine in the various regions of Asia. Their subject was … [Read More]
Lee Wan-min and Kim Sae-byuk interview: Jamsil — memory, feminism, and independent Korean cinema
Director Lee Wan-min discusses Jamsil’s use of colour, memory, fragmented time, feminism, and the realities of making independent films amid funding and industry barriers. Actress Kim Sae-byuk reflects on choosing meaningful stories, balancing independent and commercial work, and the collaborative relationship at the film’s core. [Read More]
Screening: Plantarians / Did You Eat Rice?
News of an upcoming screening of works by Ellie Kyungran Heo at Lux, the venue for the artist films in the London Korean Film Festival. Plantarians Sun 26 Nov 2017 / 2pm – 4pm LUX | Waterlow Park Centre | Dartmouth Park Hill | London N19 5JF | https://lux.org.uk/ Free, but booking required. | Book … [Read More]
Bae Chang-ho interview: censorship, change, and life stories in Korean cinema
Director Bae Chang-ho reflects on the evolution of his film-making career and developments in the industry and audience preferences. He discusses changes in his style, a focus on ordinary lives and love, collaborations with his wife Kim Yoo-mi, investor-driven constraints, and why his films’ sincerity was shaped by hardship rather than budget or freedom. [Read More]
Does the Cuckoo Cry at Night (뻐꾸기도 밤에 우는가, 1980) review: innocence, desire and a changing Korea
Jung Jin-woo’s classic film, following the idyllic but threatened lives of a charcoal maker and his wife, dissects themes of traditional versus modern Korea, while its veiled eroticism predates the more overt “Three S” cinematic period. Its use of cuckoo symbolism to reveal the protagonist’s tragic family legacy is inspired. [Read More]
Kim Munho: Buncheong Story, at Han Collection
News of Han Collection’s next exhibition: Kim Munho: Buncheong Story Exhibition: 15 – 28 November 2017 Opening night: 14th November 18:00-21:00 Han Collection | 33 Museum Street | Bloomsbury | London WC1A 1LH | www.hancollection.co.uk Han Collection is pleased to present this new solo exhibition of Korean pottery artist, Kim Mun Ho. This exhibition is a … [Read More]
K-Arts Dance Company returns to Trinity Laban
The K-Arts Dance Company last came to Trinity Laban in early 2015, and return this month with a double bill. Don’t miss it. They are also performing in Leeds on 16 November. Korea National University Of The Arts K-Arts Dance Company Mixed Bill Tuesday 21 November, 7:30pm | £12 (£10) | Book tickets Laban Theatre … [Read More]