How does one get from a Korean jazz singer resident in France to a Korean artist resident in the UK via Britain’s best-selling broadsheet daily newspaper? There are many celebrity twitterers, but there is only one remotely famous person that I happen to “follow”: pianist Stephen Hough (@houghhough). I came across his Daily Telegraph blog … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 149)
Sand Castle Prelude: Mr Kwang branches out into indie gaming
During my trip to Korea earlier this year I was introduced to Kim Jin-sung, better known to Korean indie music fans as Mr Kwang, probably the most accessible on-line store for Korean CDs. Mr Kim recently started a sideline in indie gaming, in collaboration with husband-and-wife team ArcShock. The first release is a physics puzzle … [Read More]
Foreigners struggle to preserve Seoul’s hanok heritage
Foreign hanok defenders battle obliteration of Seoul’s architectural heritage. Andrew Salmon writes for Yonhap on David Kilburn and Peter Bartholomew (above). http://bit.ly/97IhMI Also echoed in the Joongang Ilbo. #. I’ve been trying to arrange for David Kilburn to give a talk on preservation at the KCC in London, but I think the whole thing is … [Read More]
Korean gardens and other top travel ideas
Check out Korean Gardens on the KTO website – this is how I’m going to persuade my wife to come to Korea # And Nanoomi has a great feature on the top 10 vacation spots in Korea – some suggestions you might not have come across before (http://bit.ly/ciIKL9 #) including the Hwansun Caves in Samcheok, … [Read More]
Official story on the Cheonan fails to convince many
My London Korean friends are obviously not alone in doubting that the DPRK sunk the Cheonan: only 32.5% more or less trust the findings of the international enquiry http://bit.ly/cDdWhE # [Read More]
The Philharmonia Orchestra in Sorok-do
Video of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra in tour to Korea in May 2010, including concert in Sorok-do. Ashkenazy with Cho Yong-pil, sponsored by Lady Rothermere. http://bit.ly/d8LyYB. Also reported in the Korea Times. # [Read More]
Seal-maker deceived his Sancheong hosts
This makes me sad. Sancheong County was very proud of its association with the presidential seal. Now we discover that the seal-maker wasn’t all he promised to be. http://bit.ly/ayUI3W # [Read More]
Variations on Jang Sun-woo
Tony Rayns tells us in his KOFIC book about Jang Sung-woo that he once interviewed the famous director naked in a jjimjilbang. Rayns’s documentary film about Jang, entitled the Jang Sung-woo Variations, is bookended by extracts from the interview, with Jang being given a relaxing back massage; and in between are other extracts of the … [Read More]
Korea’s top films and directors of the decade: the definitive list?
Over the course of this year various people have published their list of top 10 Korean films of the last decade. Here at LKL, we’ve collected those lists, analysed them and come up with a poll of polls – if you like, the definitive list: at least, that is, until another critic weighs in with … [Read More]
KOFIC releases Lee Man-hee box set
Box set of classic Lee Man-hee films, including Marines who Never Returned. A must-buy. http://tinyurl.com/2u6vukv # [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #38: Return to Seoul
The final installments of LKL’s trip to Korea at the beginning of May Saturday 8 May 2010. We are back in Seoul in good time. At the start of the week, I hadn’t known what my Sancheong schedule was going to look like: my friend Kyung-sook had managed to secure an extra day or so … [Read More]
September events 2010
So many highlights this month it’s difficult to know where to start. Film Hong Sang-soo is in town for a complete retrospective of his work at the BFI South Bank. A cut down version of the retrospective will be touring the nation. Q&A on 3 September in London after Ha Ha Ha, and one at … [Read More]
Buddhist art collection for sale
The largest collection of Korean Buddhist paintings outside of Korea starts to come under the hammer at Christie's: The Jerry Lee Musslewhite Collection of Korean Art http://bit.ly/aCYEqu # [Read More]
Hanbok designs by Park Sul-nyeo in aquarium fashion shoot
The flowing lines of hanbok take on a new meaning in this underwater fashion show celebrating the opening of the Lotte Department Store at Cheongnyangni Station, Seoul. Beautiful. http://bit.ly/9Ec5JC # Hanbok designs by Park Sul-nyeo. All photos via Yonhap / Reuters [Read More]
Koreanfilm.org’s films of the decade and ROK Drop’s top Korean War films
Koreanfilm.org releases its top ten films of the decade, 2000-2009, six times over. Plenty of food for thought. http://bit.ly/8XL6jz #. And ROK Drop suggests the 10 Best All-Time Korean War Movies. Michael Caine's debut A Hill in Korea squeaks in at #10 http://bit.ly/byaTSF # [Read More]
The entertainment industry in the news
Some recent articles on the spread of K-pop in 2010, and on the darker side of the industry. K-Pop Online: Korean Stars Go Global with Social Media – TIME http://bit.ly/c5oA73 #. Underage celebs suffer mistreatment, says the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (Korea Times, 27 Aug) Sexy moves provoke debate over teen idols, says … [Read More]