From nowhere, Twitter has come to be an established part of anyone’s presence on the web. First people used static websites, then it was blogs. In parallel, discussion forums and bulletin boards sprung up. Social networking sites followed, and finally came Twitter, the microblogging platform. All represent different ways to reach and interact with different … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 174)
Many hearts broken: Lee Young-ae married
Lee Young-ae secretly tied the knot with a Korean-American businessman in the U.S. on 24 August. The wedding was attended only by family and close friends, and was held in the U.S. because the bridegroom’s family lives there. Source: Chosun Ilbo # [Read More]
North Korean labourers in Russia
North Koreans labouring in Russia's timber camps: the UK connection, on Newsnight tonight: http://bit.ly/3wAaFJ # The full video can now be viewed here http://bit.ly/s6YvM # Note the Hwang Byung-ki soundtrack. And another BBC report from Vladivostok, ten years later [Read More]
Yang Yong-eun’s competition philosophy
Congratulations to Yang Yong-eun on winning the US PGA golf championship http://bit.ly/2Jw6M #. “It’s not like you’re in an octagon where you’re fighting against Tiger and he’s going to bite you, or swing at you with his 9-iron,” Yang said through an interpreter. “The worst that I could do was just lose to Tiger. So … [Read More]
Why North Korea is unlikely ever to produce a Solzhenitsyn
Christian Oliver reviews “Long Road Home: Testimony of a North Korean Camp Survivor” in the weekend FT #. He observes: It is not uncommon for South Korean missionaries to meet defectors as soon as they flee into China, and for memoirs by penal camp survivors to end with the authors turning to Christianity. But Kim’s … [Read More]
Seoul is slacking
Seoul is slacking – beaten into second place by Cairo in hours worked per year according to the 2009 edition of the annual UBS Prices and Earnings report. # People in Seoul worked an average 2,312 hours a year, ranking second among residents of 73 major cities around the world. Cairenes were first with 2,373 … [Read More]
A meeting with Brother Anthony
LKL talks to Brother Anthony on poetry, tea, temple stays and romanisation Wednesday 22 July 2009 On the twelfth floor of an anonymous building in the Sincheon area of Seoul there’s an overcrowded study. From a cassette player in the corner wafts the soothing sounds of kayageum and daegeum sanjo. Books line every available inch … [Read More]
North Korea’s role in Robert Mugabe’s power grab
“Mugabe managed to win … because he had the Fifth North Korean Brigade working for him” Sir Jim Spicer on today’s Saturday Live, 18:02 in http://bit.ly/MAPrC #. And the full quote: “Mugabe managed to win not because of Mugabe but because he had the Fifth North Korean Brigade working for him, who then went on … [Read More]
Paju Book City in the FT
A city dedicated to books and print – Paju Book City is featured in the FT today. What other paper provides such coverage? http://bit.ly/10cwDH #: [Read More]
The rebirth of the sijo?
Sijo poetry form captures Harvard professor’s imagination: The Boston Globe has a feature on David McCann; and a few readers tried their hands at composing: http://bit.ly/ujtqy # With its three lines, sijo resembles haiku, but the sijo poet has more room to develop a theme, narrative, or image before twisting and resolving it in the … [Read More]
Storm Shadow v Saya: Who wins?
Just seen GI Joe; and saw Last Vampire last month. Who wins in the battle of Storm Shadow v Saya? I think Lee Byung-hun wins hands down over Jeon Ji-hyun, despite having less to do. # [Read More]
In pictures: the Kingston Korean Festival 2009
In the past, there’s always been some reason why I couldn’t get to the Korean Festival in Kingston. This year the way things panned out I could only manage to spend an hour there over lunchtime, but it’s a fun day out. A tip: there are two reasons not to go there by car. (1) … [Read More]
The growth of Makgeolli coverage
Makgeolli, Rediscovered in the Korea Times. But why are there so many articles about makgeolli at the moment? Did anyone ever stop drinking it? http://bit.ly/pBOwB #. Plus “Makgeolli exports surge in first half” – JoongAng Daily – and “Makgeolli vs. Matkoli” at The Marmot’s Hole [Read More]
Quentin Tarantino’s K-film watchlist
Three Korean films are among Quentin Tarantino’s top 20. Two by Bong Joon-ho, and not the Park Chan-wook you might expect: #. The full list: Battle Royale | Anything Else | Audition | Tsui Hark’s The Blade | Boogie Nights | Dazed & Confused | Dogville | Fight Club | Fridays | The Host | … [Read More]
Concert Review: Unsuk Chin at the BBC Proms — A new work enters the Cello repertoire
Last Thursday (13 August) saw the world premiere of the cello concerto by Unsuk Chin, a BBC commission. Chin, who was born in Korea in 1961, has been composer-in-residence for both the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. She is a careful worker: the new work was originally scheduled for the 2007 Prom … [Read More]
RIP Kim Dae-jung
RIP Kim Dae-jung, 3 December 1925 – 18 August 2009, who pioneered his country’s “Sunshine Policy” of engagement with North Korea. Kim, known as DJ, who was being treated for pneumonia, was reported to have died after suffering heart failure. The former leader had spent his life pursuing democracy and reunification with the North. The … [Read More]