Back in October last year Beccy Kennedy reported from the 4482 show: 40 Korean artists in London under one roof in a single exhibition. This week there are at least six Korean artists under one roof in Islington, represented by four galleries. Exhibiting in the London Art Fair are Albemarle Gallery (Lee Jaehyo and Park … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 182)
According to Gallup, my favourite singer should be Jang Yoon Jeong
At least, that’s if I’m a Korean conforming to the profile of the sample selected by Gallup Korea for their 2008 K-pop poll. OK, I’m reasonably happy listening to her first album, but there are other albums I’d much prefer to have in my CD player. Jang Yoon Jeong (장윤정 – right) is the younger … [Read More]
January events 2009
Here are the events for January 2009 as far as I know: Visual Arts I-MYU Projects participate in the London Art Fair, with work by Seahyun Lee and Hyung-geun Park, 13-18 January Illustrator and animator Son Jeongmin exhibits at I-MYU, commencing 6 January. Entry Forms continues at the KCC until 15 January The KCC celebrates … [Read More]
2009 Joint New Year Editorial: Pyongyang marches for “socialist fairyland”
The BBC yesterday published the above photo of a demonstration in Pyongyang in support of the DPRK’s traditional joint New Year editorial. Here’s the some of the text from the KCNA website. Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) — Rodong Sinmun, Josoninmingun and Chongnyonjonwi Thursday issued a joint editorial titled “Glorify this year as a year of … [Read More]
Kim Yoon Ah #2: Glass Mask
T Entertainment, 2004 Kim Yoon Ah (김윤아) is the lead vocalist from Jaurim. Her first solo outing was in 2001 with the well-received Shadow of your Smile. And if LKL had been around in 2004, this follow-up album would have been a strong contender for album of the year. The opening track, engineered to sound … [Read More]
LKL 2008 Quiz of the year – the answers
The answers to the teasers posed just before the New Year. 1 Stressful times What does the current credit crunch and the most recent DPRK nuclear test have in common? a) the media blame them on an incompetent government who should have seen it coming and somehow prevented it b) they would both cause a … [Read More]
The London Korean Links Awards 2008
Here are the winners and losers of the third annual LKL Awards. Again, a personal and unscientific selection. Cultural event of the year (UK) There was a lot of competition for this particular award this year, but the winner is the Dano Festival in Trafalgar Square. The performance of Noridan was almost enough on its … [Read More]
LKL Quiz of the Year 2008
LKL’s second quiz of the year 1 Stressful times What does the current credit crunch and the most recent DPRK nuclear test have in common? a) the media blame them on an incompetent government who should have seen it coming and somehow prevented it b) they would both cause a baby boom in South Korea, … [Read More]
Saharial gets it spot-on
Congratulations to LKL’s K-pop pundit Saharial for correctly gauging the mood of a nation. Back in early December nominated Shinhwa’s JunJin as Artiste of the Year. “JunJin’s popularity soared with the launch of his solo album in May,” said Saharial. “Continued exposure on variety shows as participant and presenter along with promoting the song ‘Wa’ … [Read More]
The London Korean year 2008 – events of the year
It’s been a busy year, a year of change. A new cultural centre, a re-launched Artists’ Association, new ambassadors in both London and Seoul. Jane Portal left the British Museum for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, while Michael Shin became the first full-time Korean Studies lecturer at Cambridge. Down in New Malden, things … [Read More]
2008 Thanks. And, meet the LKL contributors
Another fun year of blogging, and so it’s time to thank all those who have made things possible. In no particular order: The regular and one-off contributors who provide coverage, insight and expertise that are beyond me, and make LKL much more than what it would otherwise be. The regular contributors now have their own … [Read More]
What the KCC is for
About 18 months ago, there was a meeting of local supporters of Korean culture, held at the Korean Embassy as part of an initiative by the embassy for getting feedback on its marketing efforts. One of the topics of conversation was whether there was be a business plan or a mission statement for the soon-to-be-opened … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Smile of Buddha, the big Korean show in Brussels
The Smile of Buddha exhibition is the centrepiece of the Made in Korea festival currently showing in Brussels, which also includes photography, ceramics, architecture and video art. As the Korean ambassador to the EU says in his introduction to the exhibition catalogue, not many people in the West know much about Korea, and this exhibition … [Read More]
LKL Critics’ Choice 2008: Philip
The last of a series in which regular and guest LKL contributors nominate their CD releases of the year. As Mark Russell notes in his 2008 roundup, we had some good reissues this year. This is great news, as it shows that the Korean music industry is showing some maturity. Why after all should fans … [Read More]
Inshalla – Detente in the Desert
It’s Lee Young-ae’s first film, released at the very beginning of 1997. It’s pretty difficult to get hold of. Unavailable on Region 3 DVD, you might be able to find a cheap Hong Kong version of the film from Panorama. Currently, YesAsia only lists it on VCD. Filmed mainly in Morocco, there’s plenty of exotic … [Read More]
Indieful ROK joins the Music Alliance Pact
It’s a sort of FTA for indie musician blogs, and it works like this. It’s all a great idea originating from The Pop Cop, and currently the pact consists of 21 fine music blogs from all over the world. Each month every blog selects a song from their own region to be posted on every … [Read More]