London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Ilhwa Kim solo show at HOFA Gallery

Ilhwa Kim returns to HOFA with the same early Autumn slot as last year. Ilhwa Kim solo show at HOFA Gallery HOFA Gallery | 11 Bruton Street | Mayfair | London W1J 6PY | thehouseoffineart.com 28 September – 12 October 2020 Contemporary Asian artist, Ilhwa Kim will be returning to HOFA with her highly anticipated … [Read More]

18th K-pop Academy: application window open

The K-pop Academy moves online for its 18th season. Judging by the choice of application methods and the draft programme details, a new emphasis this time is on bolstering the army of YouTube influencers for Korean culture! The more the merrier! The 18th K-Pop Academy Dates: 19 September – 31 October 2020 Time: Every Saturday … [Read More]

Memories of Murder: one-off screening

Curzon Home Cinemas are reviving Bong Joon-ho’s first two features – Barking Dogs Never Bite and Memories of Murder – for home viewing. The latter will also be getting a screening at the Curzon Bloomsbury in a new 4K restoration. It may have a wider release, but at the time of writing there’s only one … [Read More]

BTS: Break The Silence movie theatrical release

Relive the Wembley experience from last year with this behind-the-scenes documentary from BTS’s Love Yourself: Speak Yourself world tour. Break The Silence: Persona Limited theatrical release from Thursday 10 September 2020 Visit www.breakthesilencethemovie.com for showtimes and to book tickets BTS WORLD TOUR ‘LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF’ is over. The worldwide stadium tour topped the Billboard … [Read More]

Why Crash Landing on You had us hooked

What a preposterous scenario for a drama. A chaebol heiress goes paragliding, gets swept away by a freak tornado and lands north of the DMZ, where she is discovered by a North Korean soldier and ends up getting emotionally entangled. I loved it. Of course, the scenario is a lot more complicated than that. How … [Read More]

Literary talk with translator Sora Kim-Russell

The KCC’s September literature night is a special event: a Zoom conversation with translator Sora Kim-Russell, focusing on her latest translation to make it into print here, Pyun Hye-young’s The Law of Lines (LKL review here). To make the conversation worthwhile, the KCC expects us all to have read the book in advance. It is … [Read More]

Brief review: Kim Sagwa – b, Book, and Me

To answer the obvious question that you’re going to be asked when trying to order this item at your local bookstore, “b” and “Book” are the names of two characters in the novel. We’re not told about how b came by her name, but Book is so called because he spends all his time reading, primarily … [Read More]

LKFF Teaser Screening: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

After having had to cancel the Kim Jiyoung screening earlier this year as we went into lockdown, the KCC is resurrecting the event as we gradually emerge. The official announcement on the film festival website promises an introduction, though currently there are no further details. The planned screening in March was going to be by … [Read More]

Online Discussion: Seopyeonje

A zoom discussion with Birkbeck University curatorial team following an online viewing of Seopyeonje with a recorded introduction. Seopyeonje: online discussion Thursday 27 August 2020 | 8:15pm Register via Eventbrite About this Event Part of our Trapped! The Cinema of Confinement Korean Film Nights season. Programmed in collaboration with the Birkbeck Film Programming and Curating … [Read More]

Book review: Paek Nam Nyong – Friend

When faced with a translation of a book written by a North Korean, based on past experiences you might expect material that’s hostile to the regime. Texts that have been rendered into English tend to be either defector testimonies or an occasional collection of short stories or poems by a dissident writer that have apparently … [Read More]