If K-pop and club music isn’t your thing, June so far seems to be a reasonably quiet month, which after such a busy May is no bad thing. Exhibitions Architect Byoung Soo Cho has a solo exhibition at the Coronet Theatre until 6 June The KCCUK’s current exhibition Icheon and Beyond — The Space Within … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman
May events 2026
May is shaping up to be a fantastic month. London Craft Week brings some lovely things to town, plus it’s a stand-out month for performance: as well as the Festival of Korean Dance, which tours to Bournemouth, Salford, Newcastle and Glasgow, there’s the opportunity to see the holders of intangible cultural property no 82-1 in … [Read More]
[Durham] Songs beneath the Sacred Tree
![Thumbnail for post: [Durham] Songs beneath the Sacred Tree](https://londonkoreanlinks.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/east-coast-byeolshin-gut-120x120.jpg)
Wednesday 27 May: a lecture-concert exploring the thrilling song, dance and rhythms of South Korea’s East Coast hereditary shaman tradition, featuring two leading ritualists (officially recognised as Cultural Assets 82-1) together with Prof. Simon Mills. Still today, some of the fishing communities scattered along South Korea’s eastern coastline maintain their tradition of hiring a hereditary … [Read More]
ScreaM Records, Seoul Community Radio and Korea Nights at SXSW London
ScreaM Records: 2 June, 5:00 – 9:00pm, XOYO (Room 1) K-Pop | Electronic | House | UK Garage K-POP ScreaM is the world’s first global K-POP rave party. ScreaM Records began this concept by presenting SHOWME, the world’s first online DJ performance project that combines K-POP and dance music. This project gained immense popularity, with … [Read More]
Korea Forum: Across Futures
Korea Forum 2026, presented by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom and the KCCUK, is a public diplomacy platform that fosters dialogue on Korea’s evolving soft power across culture, technology, and industry. This year, the forum will take place in two editions: ‘Korea Forum: Across Futures,’ on 28 April, held … [Read More]
April events 2026
There’s an almost overwhelming number of live pop and hip-hop concerts this month. And I’m not sure when these started, but there are at least three touring K-pop tribute shows doing the rounds of provincial theatres, with another show currently auditioning for a similar tour later this year. Also, to welcome Spring there’s an exhibition … [Read More]
Hangul Celluloid content is now available on LKL
Three months ago Hangul Celluloid‘s Paul Quinn made the shock announcement that he was going to close down his site, taking it offline today, 23 March. He also extended an invitation: So, for those of you who still feel there’s stuff worth grabbing from there, grab it now… ‘coz when it’s gone, it’s gone… And … [Read More]
Honey in the Wound: Jiyoung Han in conversation
Join Waterstones Islington with Jiyoung Han to celebrate the publication of Honey in the Wound, a spellbinding intergenerational epic that spans ninety years of Asian history with visceral power and breathtaking magical realism to explore how colonialism forces one family to transform, and ultimately survive. A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother’s … [Read More]
KCCUK craft workshop: dancheong-patterned latern making
Join the KCCUK for a craft workshop exploring Dancheong. You’ll delve into the history of this traditional craft and receive a hands-on experience of these cultural treasures. Dancheong refers to traditional colouring on wooden buildings and artifacts in Korea for decoration and style that can be traced back to the period of the Three Kingdoms … [Read More]
What do you think about Korean literature in translation?
Long story, but I find that I have managed to get myself committed to giving a talk on how Korean literature in translation is received by English-speaking readers. It’s a bit of a tall order. And while I can of course articulate the ways in which I personally am drawn to Korean literature, why I … [Read More]
Festival of Korean Dance 2026 – programme details announced
Here’s the official press release for the 2026 Festival of Korean dance. This year, festival returns to the Tramway in Glasgow, as well as touring to Bournemouth, Salford and Newcastle. A Festival of Korean Dance tours five venues in its ninth year 2025 Olivier Award nominee Young-doo Jung presents a new work inspired by the … [Read More]
March events 2026
This month, LKL enters its 21st year online – we launched 20 years ago on 1 March 2006. And it’s shaping up to be a good month, including three book launch events, three K-pop concerts, four major classical music concerts, a play and the UK theatrical release of a film that is currently topping the … [Read More]
February events
This month there’s music available to suit most tastes, with classical, jazz and K-pop/hip-hop, plus family activities to mark the Lunar New Year (the Seollal public holiday in Korea this year is 16-18 Feb, coinciding with the start of Lent). Live music and Performance Jazz musicians Yunmi Kang and Sangyeon Park join with the Bristol-based … [Read More]
“Unfolding the heart”: LKL meets KCCUK Director Seunghye Sun
Reflecting on her KCCUK tenure, Dr Seunghye Sun outlines a strategy of partnership, emotional diplomacy and ‘digital humanism’, positioning Hallyu as an introduction to a deepening understanding of Korean culture. She discusses extending UK–Korea exchange beyond pop culture into literature, heritage, visual arts and technology, and argues that Korean soft power is widening, not peaking. [Read More]
January events 2026
Welcome to 2026! And congratulations to Martin Uden for his OBE in the New Year Honours 2026 Overseas and International List for services to British Veterans of the Korean War, and to UK/Korea relations. As is usually the case, I’m anticipating that January will be quiet – though if you’re a K-pop fan there are … [Read More]
President Lee’s New Year address
President Lee outlines 2026 as a year of Korea’s “great leap forward,” emphasizing people-centered governance, regionally balanced economic growth, safety, cultural leadership, and peace. Building on last year’s recovery, he pledges innovation, support for SMEs and startups, and global engagement, urging national unity and citizen participation to transform Korea’s growth paradigm and ensure shared prosperity. [Read More]