London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Peninsula to get UK theatrical release

Well, the BFI London Film Festival wasn’t interested in any Korean films, but all credit to Frightfest for securing the zombie blockbuster Peninsula to open their festival on 22 October. Here’s the press release from the FrightFest website; UPDATE: unfortunately, since the festival has moved online-only as the pandemic situation has worsened, Peninsula will no … [Read More]

Review: Pyun Hye-young – The Law of Lines

Life was much deeper than he could ever imagine. It was impossible to tell just how far you could sink1 Two apparent suicides in different parts of the country kick-start two separate story-lines which turn out to be interlinked. Se-oh is the daughter of one of the deceased – a man who had fallen into … [Read More]

2020 Korean Peninsula Peace Forum

Coming later this month, a free-to-attend online presentation of proposals for a practical approach to reunification. You can get a preview of some of the likely discussion points by reading the proposals which are available on the Relational Peacebuilding Initiatives website. 2020 Korean Peninsula Peace Forum A Socio-Economic Strategy Leading Towards Peaceful Korean Unification Wednesday … [Read More]

Hallyu Con 2020: an online celebration of Korean pop culture

Hot on the heels of KBCE’s Chuseok-themed online event in September comes KCCUK’s hallyu-focused online festival. Hallyu Con 2020 Sunday 4 October 2020, 3pm Livestreamed on the KCCUK YouTube Channel Free Calling all UK and Europe-based Korean culture enthusiasts! Are you keen to join the ultimate celebration of Korean pop culture? This one-day online event, … [Read More]

An introduction to be-oom tea shop and garden

와우! be-oom is a new addition to London’s tea scene, serving hand-picked Korean teas sourced from small farms in the Boseong and Hadong regions. They also sell tea ceramics and run Korean tea tasting and tea blending events (see Facebook page for dates). Their tea house in the vibrant Exmouth Market offers a peaceful ‘garden’ … [Read More]

Korean films at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival (this won’t take long)

The programme for the 64th BFI London Film Festival was announced earlier this week. As one might expect, the format is somewhat different this year. The schedule boasts “over 50 virtual premieres and a selection of highly anticipated new feature film previews … with work from more than 40 countries”. However, despite the diversity of … [Read More]

The annual Harvest Fest moves online

Congratulations to the organisers of the annual Korean Harvest Fest for putting something so enticing together in these difficult times. The Chuseok celebrations organised by Korean British Cultural Exchange have moved online this year. Plans for screenings in the heard of Koreatown (New Malden) have had to be shelved at the last minute because of … [Read More]

The Closet (클로젯, 2020) review: shamanic horror meets human reality

The Closet blends supernatural horror with hi-tech shamanic ritual as a grieving father searches for his missing daughter. This wholly engaging, often genuinely creepy, horror deftly uses spiritualism in the fight of light against dark and is also a serious societal critique, the palpable poignancy of which easily raises its worthiness yet further. [Read More]

September events 2020

Korean events are gradually emerging from the online world into the real world. But the Kingston Harvest Fest will be online this year. Look out for announcements about some video streamings on 26 September. Deadlines Apply to attend Sora Kim-Russell’s book talk by 1 September Fill in your K-pop Academy application by 9 September The … [Read More]

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]