I'm told Harry Hill's TV Burp on Sat 8 Nov will have a Korean sketch, with Korean actors from Holby City and Neighbours # [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 170)
Is Lady Vengeance REALLY the best Korean film of the decade?
That’s what The Times seems to think. I’ve never had much confidence in that paper when it comes to Korean film (one of their critics in particular, Wendy Ide, seems to have a complete downer on the country), but I’m not sure that many informed Korean film buffs would agree with the choice of Lady … [Read More]
Speakers by design
The Telegraph magazine likes Korean Milan-based designer Michi Jung’s speakers that look like furniture: ingenious! http://bit.ly/taa1T #. The pictured speakers are called “Music Chocolate” for obvious reasons. There’s a matching chaise longue too: [Read More]
Atta Kim’s melting moments
The Dorsoduro, Venice’s south-western quarter, has a completely different atmosphere from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas around St Mark’s across the Grand Canal. It’s busy around the Peggy Guggenheim museum, but further west, beyond the Campo Santa Margherita, the crowds thin out. Here, alongside a narrow waterway on the Fondamenta del Soccorso … [Read More]
From Gulag to Getaway: North Korean refugees tell their story in Parliament
“In South Korea, we are taught English, Maths, things like that. We are taught nothing about North Korea.” I was talking to a young South Korean after a meeting of the North Korean All-Party Parliamentary Group. She was visibly shocked at what she had just heard. Two North Korean refugees – Jung Guang-il and Lee … [Read More]
TVXQ’s “slave contract”
“K-pop fandom going batshit crazy today,” says @suzyinseoul. “Will someone tell me what’s going on with TVXQ and SM?” Source: AllKPop and, for background, Korea Times # [Read More]
Fan Death in Venice – the Korean Pavilion at the Biennale
In a collection of National Pavilions which includes a big aluminium cage (France), some unfinished pine kitchen furniture (Germany) and a reconstruction of a celebrity gay swimming pool death (Nordic countries) the Korean pavilion at the Venice Biennale is in good company in making you scratch your head a little bit. What is one to … [Read More]
November events 2009
Featured events The London Korean Film Festival comes to the Barbican from 5 November, dovetailing and sometimes clashing with a Bong Joon-ho retrospective (1-14 Nov) at the South Bank. If you’re a BFI member you might have got tickets for the Q&A with Director Bong. If not, tough luck. [Update: more tickets now released] The … [Read More]
Presenting Korean Culture 2: Why bother with the artist VIPs?
Having being forced to think about issues concerning the presentation of Korean culture in London for the recent seminar at I-MYU, here are some additional thoughts, with maybe some more to come. The current exhibition at the Cultural Centre provides a stimulating and thought-provoking panorama of environmental issues. Present at the opening reception were two … [Read More]
Gansong Art Museum – a must-visit if you are in Seoul May or October
Paul in Uijeongbu visits the Gansong Art Museum (간송미술관) in Seongbuk-gu, northern Seoul. Only open twice a year, and full of priceless treasures http://bit.ly/uf5jYH [Read More]
Have I got Nanta for you
Sharp-eyed fans of the BBC TV comedy news quiz Have I Got News For You will have spotted a still from Nanta just before the closing credits in the show which aired on 17 October. Just after the final “caption competition”, the presenter is allowed two final illustrated one-liners. And the show’s researchers had unearthed … [Read More]
True to Younee – a review of Younee’s international debut album
“It’s not my kind of thing. Why don’t you have a listen?” So said a well-connected jazz buff to me a couple of months ago. He happened to have a promotional copy of Younee’s debut Western album. “She’s coming to London later this year to do some gigs at Pizza Express.” I was happy to … [Read More]
Indieful RoK in the Herald Biz
Yup, that’s me in the HeraldBiz. In a hanbok a bit too small while drinking tea the traditional Korean way — confesses Anna Lindgren of @Indiefulrok. http://u8grq.tk # [Read More]
An evening with the Korean Artists Association – event report
Last summer, the Korean Artists Association put on an evening of performances at the Korean cultural centre. The evening was well attended and popular, but somehow you felt that they could do better. They came back 15 months later and did just that. Recognising that the visual artists did not get much of a look-in … [Read More]
Behind the scenes with the KAA
The plan for an evening of performance and visual arts at the KCC came quite suddenly, and when I met Park Sunnee for a quick chat about it six weeks ago the plans all seemed rather vague. I have in the past been sceptical about Korean organisational abilities, and the mountain to climb in such … [Read More]
Tweeting the KAA October performance
19 Oct 2009: Photos from the Korean Artists at the KCC event (16 October) are up on Flickr http://bit.ly/1qhGtz. Thanks to Mr Lee Hyung-wook of The East # 17 Oct 2009: Totally relieved that the KAA event at the KCC is over. I think it was a massive success. Well done all. # 16 Oct … [Read More]