May events 2025 | London Korean Links

Highlights of this month are Jaha Koo with his talking rice cookers, Seongjin Cho’s Ravelathon, and the annual Festival of Korean Dance – in London and on tour. It’s also London Craft Week, so expect some top-quality Korean crafts to be on show. Finally, Suh Do-ho’s solo show at Tate Modern opens this month.

Exhibitions

New this month:

Do Ho Suh’s Walk the House opens at Tate Modern on 1 May
Heeyoung Noh’s Submerged Attachment is at 67 Great Titchfield Street 8 – 13 May
Bongsan Talchum: The Spirit of Satire is in Dalston Factory, 10 – 11 May

Last chance to see:

Knitted together: the Korean lives and legacies of Richard and Joan Rutt ends in Durham on 4 May
Si On’s Soft Armour, Heavy Bones closes on 17 May
Lloyd Choi Gallery’s craft exhibition Sounds of Spring closes on 10 May

Marking London Craft Week:

Korea Heritage Agency and Soluna Art Group are exhibiting in two separate showrooms at The Lavery in South Ken until 18 May
Han Collection collaborates with Icheon Ceramic, 12 – 18 May
By our count, nine Korean makers will be exhibiting in Ceramic Art London at Olympia West, 9-11 May

Still on show:

Soundwaves of Science: Exploring the Science of Korean Music at the KCC until the end of June

Theatre and Dance

Jaha Koo’s Haribo Kimchi is at the Purcell Room 13 – 14 May
The Kim’s Convenience nationwide theatre tour takes in Newcastle, Glasgow, Oxford, Leicester and Warwick this month
The Festival of Korean Dance has a number of productions (and a discussion on 13 May):
- Jungle by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company 7 – 8 May
- Shinsegae by Ji-hye Chung and 0g (zero grams) by Melancholy Dance Company 13 May
- Ham:beth by Modern Table 23 May – 24 May 2025
- A double-bill of dance goes on tour to Bournemouth (9 May), Newcastle (15 May) and Salford (20 May)
There’s a Kollab & Kulture event at the Poplar Union focusing on Korean dance, 1 May

Classes and discussions

Remembering ‘Comfort Women’: Politics of memory and international perspectives, at SOAS, 3 May
There’s a Kimchi Pasta workshop in New Malden also on 3 May
It’s Korean cuisine month at Capital City College, with workshops on 10, 17 and 31 May
There’s a Chungsa Chorong (traditional lantern) workshop at the KCCUK on 30 May
Wednesday Danso workshops at the KCC taught by Hyelim Kim 30 April – 21 May
K-Beauty Academy: Personal Colour Analysis Workshops at the KCC, 9, 13 and 16 May
Dance Seminar: Choreographic Humour: Korean-British Connections and Divergences, at The Place, 13 May
Da-hae West launches her new cookery book Balli Balli on 20 May
In Oxford, Hyung-Suk Kim and Jieun Kiaer discuss K-Pop, AI, and the Future of Global Music on 7 May

Screenings and broadcasts

Ilrhan Kim’s Edhi Alice closes 2025 Queer East festival on Sunday 18 May
Look out for a limited UK theatrical release (probably at certain Vue cinemas) for two current Korean movies: Yadang – The Snitch (from 9 May) and Holy Night: Demon Hunters (exact release date tbc)
King Mi-ja’s Spring Night (2024) screens at the ICA, 23-29 May
Three UK-based academics talk to Melvin Bragg about the Korean Empire on BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time

Live Music

Classical

Seong-Jin Cho’s Ravel-athon is at the Barbican on 2 May
Bomsori Kim is soloist with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, 5 May
Michelle Choi (flute) performs with Jospeh Reynolds (Cello) and Helen Meng (piano) at the KCC on 15 May
Kumi Choi gives an organ recital in Upper Norwood on 15 May
Yunchan Lim plays Chopin at the Albert Hall on 20 May
Prom tickets go on sale 17 May: look out for Yunchan Lim on 1 Aug and Inmo Yang on 28 Aug

Pop / rock etc

ARTMS: Lunar Theory tour as at the Troxy on 1 May
Say Sue Me’s Spring tour runs from 6 to 19 May, taking in Bristol, Manchester, Hebden Bridge, Glasgow and London via Brighton’s Great Escape
KangDaniel plays the Islington Assembly Hall on 7 May 2025
Hypnosis Therapy and Jacqui are at Focus Wales 8 – 10 May
Say Sue Me, Hypnosis Therapy, Cifika and Jacqui are at Brighton’s Great Escape Festival 15 and 16 May
Soo Joo Park plays the Lower Third on 29 May