The Korean Cultural Centre opened the doors for its launch party ten years ago today, on 30 January 2008. Jennifer Barclay, author of Meeting Mister Kim, was there to cover the event for LKL.
It’s been a hectic 10 years since then:
- 10 film festivals
- 245 film screenings (not counting collateral screenings in places like SOAS, RCA Battersea, Deptford Cinema and elsewhere)
- 99 exhibitions
- 12 K-pop academy programmes
- 39 literature nights
- 5 K-music festivals (including the series of concerts on the South Bank as part of All Eyes on Korea)
- 5 Thames Festivals
- Special events such as the festival in Trafalgar Square and Korea Shining Bright at the V+A
- Countless talks, concerts and other performance events.
We should not forget the KCC’s role in promoting Korean culture outside of London. Links have been built with the Edinburgh Festival, exhibitions arranged with partner organisations in Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter and elsewhere, and film screenings organised in various cities throughout the UK.
When two years ago I had a little reminisce on the occasion of my own 10th birthday many of the highlights of my first decade were thanks to the KCC, and since then the growing strength of the K-music festival has added to the list, with Lee Heemoon at the 2017 festival particularly worthy of note.
Here’s to the next action-packed ten years – and thanks from all of us to the hard-working staff.
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