One last busy month before the year-end slow-down. The London Korean Film Festival and the second half of the K-music Festival dominate the calendar, and there are some major K-pop names including BlackPink coming to town. But along with Park Jiha’s meditative music the thing I’m most looking forward to this month is an intimate recital of solo violin music from Joo Yeon Sir.
Screenings
- The London Korea Film Festival runs 3 – 17 November, with one subsequent screening in Manchester on 27 November
- Leesong Hee-il’s Shallow gets its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival on 5 November
- You may still be able to find cinemas screening Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, and selected cinemas will be screening Lee Jung jae’s Hunt from 4 November
Exhibitions
- The KCC’s current video art group show, Our Friendly Neighbours, finishes on 5 November. A new group show, Begin Again, opens on 23 November
- Zadie Xa’s House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness continues at the Whitechapel Gallery
- Hallyu! The Korean Wave continues at the V&A
- Lloyd Choi Gallery is hosting a brief exhibition of ceramics and other crafts entitled Korean Blue, 2 – 6 November
- Yun Choi’s Running at the Speed of Light, the Body Becomes a Turtle is at Lux from 6 November
- Haenyeo: Experience the value of living heritage of Jeju is at UCLan 3 – 30 November
Music
- K-music still has three concerts to go:
- Donyang Gozupa is in Norwich on 1 November and London on 2 November
- Sun-Mi Hong and Ant Law + Alex Hitchcock are at the Purcell Room on 17 November
- Park Jiha is at Stone Nest on 24 November
- Joo Yeon Sir will be performing unaccompanied violin music in Hammersmith on 21 November
- November’s House Concert of music for violin and piano is on 11 November
- Korean Canadian singer-songwriter Luna Li is in Brighton on 9 Nov and Southwark on 16 Nov
- DPR Regime is in London’s Troxy 13-14 November and Manchester’s Academy on 16 November
- K-pop Flex at the O2 Arena on 20 November has been cancelled as a result of the Itaewon tragedy
- Dreamcatcher is at the Brixton Academy on 22 November
- BlackPink is at the O2 Arena on 30 November and 1 December. And you can now buy tickets for their Summer 2023 gig in Hyde Park.
Talks and seminars
- There’s a special forum on the acting career of Kang Soo-yeon as part of the London Korean Film Festival, 7 November
- SOAS has an early evening seminar entitled The Tradition of Commons: Two Magna Cartas of England and Korea, 18 November
Special events
- In UCLan, there will be special cultural events and talks connected with the Haenyeo exhibition
- In Kingston we have
- UK National Kpop competition on 13 November
- An ESEA Culture Festival and Prelude for Harvest Festival 2023, also on 13 November
- The Korea Kimchi Festival on 26 November
- In New Malden we have the Kimjang Festival on 19 November
- The British Korean Society has its annual reception on 17 November
Publications
- Lee Geum-yi’s The Picture Bride (tr An Seon Jae) is expected in the UK on 10 November
- Non-fiction and academic titles expected in November include
The period of national mourning in Korea after the Halloween tragedy in Itaewon finishes on 5 November