London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Gallery: Joo Yeon Park’s Library of the Unword

As described in the exhibition notice, Joo Yeon Park’s Library of the Unword and its central piece Twenty Times a Thousand (2019) is inspired by Beckett’s poem Echo’s Bones. According to the artist, Echo in Beckett’s poem Echo’s Bones (1935) refers to the nymph in Ovid’s Metamorphoses who is punished by Juno so that she … [Read More]

Korea Day 2020 in Sheffield

This is the third Korea Day in Sheffield. Sheffield Korea Day 2020 Octagon Sheffield | Clarkson Street | Sheffield S10 2TQ Sunday 1st March 2020, 12:00 – 17:00 Tickets £5 | Book tickets 12 and under: FREE entry – e may ask for proof of age upon entry Check the event’s Facebook page for updates … [Read More]

Book review: Marilyn and Me

Ji-min Lee: Marilyn and Me Translated by Chi-young Kim HarperCollins / 4th Estate 2019, 176pp Originally published as 나와마릴린, 2009 “Where did all the beautiful and hopeful young women go?” That was the thought that occurred to author Ji-Min Lee, looking back at the grim post-war years, and looking at a couple of photographs from … [Read More]

Abandoned Heroes No 43 screens in Wimbledon CANCELLED

Another cancellation I’m afraid… A rare documentary – a UK premiere – on the fate of South Korean prisoners of war in North Korea. The documentary has English subtitles. Advance registration is required. Abandoned Heroes No 43 Wednesday 25 March 2020, 7pm Odeon Cinema | 39 The Broadway | The Crescent | Wimbledon | London … [Read More]

Bong Joon-ho’s BAFTA talk has now been uploaded

Bong Joon-ho’s BAFTA lecture at the Curzon Mayfair on 12 December 2019 has now been uploaded to the BAFTA Guru Youtube channel. The talk was part of a lecture series that “exists to celebrate screenwriters’ authorial contribution to film and gives esteemed writers a platform to share highlights and insights from their careers with an … [Read More]

Review: JM Lee – The Boy who Escaped Paradise

The Boy Who Escaped Paradise J.M. Lee, translated by Chi Young Kim Pegasus, 2016, 288pp Originally published as 천국의 소년, Seoul, 2013. A fifty-year-old North Korean is found shot to death in a flat in Queens, New York; beside him is a wounded man, the presumed killer. On the floor around the bodies are mysterious … [Read More]

Bong Joon-ho makes Oscars history

We almost feared that he had jinxed himself with that comment about the Academy Awards being “very local”. The comment, made in an interview with Vulture in October 2019, was made in the context that it’s “not a big deal” that a Korean movie had yet to be nominated for an Oscar (the nominations for … [Read More]

Minjung Baek plays Rachmaninov: London recitals

Minjung Baek tours a Rachmaninov programme in London venues during February. The recitals celebrate her live recording from the finals of the Aevea Piano Prize in Verona in July 2019, which is available on iTunes and Spotify. Tuesday, February 11th, 2020, 1:00 PM St James’s Church | Sussex Gardens | Paddington | London W2 3UD … [Read More]

Concert notes: Park Jiha at LSO St Lukes

What a difference a venue makes. Uncomfortable seats, noisy air conditioning and poor sight lines meant that Park Jiha’s gig at the Rich Mix in the 2019 K-music festival was less enjoyable than it could have been. At LSO St Luke’s at the end of January everything seemed right. Yes, there was the faint hiss … [Read More]

Brief book review: The Plotters

Kim Un-su: The Plotters Translated by Sora Kim-Russell Fourth Estate, 2019, 304 pp Originally published as 설계자들, Seoul 2010 I always find when embarking on a new book it pays to have neutral expectations. That way you won’t be disappointed. But sometimes it’s hard to filter out your own personal prejudices and the word of … [Read More]