Lee Chang-dong’s “Poetry” and Kim Tae-yong’s “Late Autumn” Lee Man-hee remake win awards at Fribourg Int’l Film Fest http://bit.ly/hHIAXU # “Poetry” won the top award, the Regard d’Or, while “Late Autumn” won the Special Mention of the Jury of the International Federation of Film Societies, and the Ex-Change Award, which is a prize selected by … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 112)
LKL in the 경남도민일보 and JoongAng Ilbo
I accidentally got interviewed by a Gyeongnam newspaper in Sancheong. Not sure what the article says, but I hope I did OK for Sancheong County. The piece also ended up in the JoongAng Ilbo. Contents Introduction 12: Yun Isang’s music at TIMF 2012 1: Dansaekhwa – Korean Monochrome Painting at the Museum of Contemporary Art … [Read More]
The Seoul Nuclear Security Summit
Trying to stay in Seoul at the time of such a big event as the Nuclear Security Summit meant that some of my preferred hotels were booked solid or had revoked any discounts which might otherwise have been available. But it was interesting seeing the preparations that Seoul had been making, from the security arrangements … [Read More]
The Orphan Master’s Son: best left in the orphanage
Adam Johnson: The Orphan Master’s Son Doubleday, 2012 The publication of The Orphan Master’s Son, the second novel by Adam Johnson, had lucky timing, surfing the wave of interest in the North caused by the death of Kim Jong-il. The newspapers duly lined up to review it to general acclaim, but an early battleground formed: … [Read More]
DPRK unveils new fusion technology on Paris concert platform
At least three things are of interest in relation to the 14 March Paris performance of the Unhasu (은하수) Orchestra from North Korea. First: that it happened at all; second: how it was reported back home; and third, what it was that the orchestra was playing. The funding First, then. How did it get to … [Read More]
Shin Kyung-sook’s acceptance speech for the Man Asian Literary Prize
What could be more appropriate for Mother’s Day? Shin Kyung-sook’s acceptance speech on winning the Man Asian Literary prize for Please Look After Mother: (via Otherwhere) [Read More]
Exhibition visit: the 5th Sasapari exhibition – Map the Korea – at the Bargehouse
Every year the big group exhibition by Korean artists in London seems to get bigger and more ambitious. After a first event in New Malden in 2007, its home for the four most recent shows has been the Bargehouse by the OXO Tower, a large and semi-derelict space with plenty of nooks and crannies to … [Read More]
Concert notes: A Little Nightmare Music – Igudesman and Joo
“His parents must be so disappointed” I overheard a Korean woman say, of Joo Hyung-ki. “They wanted him to be a concert pianist, and he’s doing comedy instead.” It was the sort of thing that Maureen Lipman would say, in character as the proud Jewish mother. Joo, one half of the hilarious musical duo Igudesman … [Read More]
Huffington Post on hip-hop’s 19th century origins
Interesting piece by John R Eperjesi in the Huffington Post: Korean Beat Attitudes: Rainhat Poet and Ko Un – a feature on Kim Sakkat (김삿갓) (real name, Kim Byeong-yeon 김병연), the character at the centre of Yi Mun-yol’s book The Poet. [Read More]
Exhibition visit: A New Space Around the Body – International Fashion Showcase at the KCC
The KCC’s last exhibition for a while, in February, was scheduled to contribute to London Fashion Week. It was also a participating event in the International Fashion Showcase, a joint project between the British Council and the British Fashion Council designed to mark the 2012 Olympics with a display of talent to honour Olympic ideals. … [Read More]
Jeon Ji-hyun finally comes clean on her upcoming marriage
Enewsworld explains why Jeon Ji-hyun denied wedding rumours for so long: she needed to get some modelling contracts signed first. The wedding is on 13 April, brought forward from 2 June, after which she starts shooting Ryu Seung-wan’s new film Berlin http://bit.ly/ygigUg. [Read More]
NK defectors look to UK for life free of fear
Nearly 600 North Koreans now live in the United Kingdom, the most popular destination for asylum seekers from the communist state, according to the Korea Times: http://bit.ly/xqmRXr [Read More]
Six years old today
LKL is officially 6 years old today. I wasn’t quite sure what LKL would be when it started, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be taking up as much of my time as it does now – probably around 2-3 hours a day on average. I intended it to be partly a personal diary … [Read More]
March events 2012
Here are the events for March that I know of. Lots of good music, plus Park Kwang-su at the KCC and some great photography at Mokspace. Let me know what I’ve missed. Exhibitions The KCC’s exhibition space is closed for the next couple of months while some housekeeping work is done with the floor. But … [Read More]
Korean Artists Association UK in call for new members
The Korean Artists Association UK exists principally as a network of those Korean artists, of whatever discipline, who have chosen to make their home in the UK. They have an annual exhibition at the KCC, usually with music and dance performance, and meet regularly at the KCC to discuss their future plans. Interested parties are … [Read More]
Korea’s watermelon economy
South Korea has a “watermelon economy,” says local Tesco / Home plus boss Lee Seung-han: green on the outside, but red on the inside. Ouch! http://t.co/wt8zXFpw [Read More]