We apologise for the disruption in service. Normal service will resume as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, here’s Jeon Sung-min (Guitar) and Jung Ji-eun (Kayageum): http://londonkoreanlinks.net/wp-content/uploads/audio/Track05.mp3 Sung-min and Ji-eun will also be playing at the Anglo-Korean Society event on 10 April. Book your tickets now. [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 191)
April events 2008
Stage Jump returns to the Peacock for a few weeks from 15 April. A fun evening out. Books and boffins The Korea Discussion Group at Chatham House hosts the former Polish ambassador to the DPRK on 11 April, and Glyn Ford MEP introduces his book there on 18 April. Professor Chang Hyo-Hyun of Korea University … [Read More]
LKL has (crash) landed
If you can read this post on my website, it’s because, magically, I’ve managed to land LKL at the right airport. I might even have landed on the right runway. But I know in advance that I’ll have skidded off the end of the runway, or might have damaged the gantry on the terminal building. … [Read More]
LKL is on the move (again)
You may have noticed a significant drop-off in content over the past few weeks, and particularly over the Easter weekend. That’s because I’ve finally been turning my mind to moving the site to a new webhost. I know I’m going to encounter all sorts of problems, and I’ve been doing dummy runs of the move … [Read More]
Full House at the KC’s late March events
Two nights running last week, the Korean Cultural Centre hosted events which were triumphant successes. Wednesday night, eight week’s after the KCC’s official opening, saw the launch of their second major art show (a selection of work from the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea – a report will be forthcoming once I or, … [Read More]
Radio 4: Korean missionaries abroad: Bible Studies with Taekwondo
Crossing Continents – a BBC Radio 4 broadcast from earlier today. Ulli Schauen visits Korea to find out why Koreans are such fervent evangelists. 16,000 work abroad as Christian missionaries, a total surpassed only by the US. The 30 minute programme can be heard here. You’ll catch the tail end of a news broadcast at … [Read More]
Patti Kim at 70
Congratulations to superstar singer Patti Kim on 49 years in the entertainment industry. Kim debuted in March 1959 before the US Eighth Army and has never looked back since. Using non-Western arithmetic, that makes her upcoming concert in Seoul at the end of April 2008 her 50th anniversary. Whatever the mathematics, I for one will … [Read More]
Beyond the Years at the KCC
The KCC’s second monthly film screening will be Im Kwon-taek’s Beyond the Years (천년학). Im’s 100th film, it’s a sequel to his breakthrough movie from the early 1990s, Sopyonje. Here’s the KCC’s press release: KOREAN CULTURAL CENTRE UK, TRAFALGAR SQUARE Thursday, March 27th 2008, 7:00 PM As part of the Korean Film Night programme, and … [Read More]
Chaebols owning banks: should we be concerned?
One of the ideas to surface in the run-up to the Korean elections was that chaebols should once more be permitted to invest in banks. The proposed revision in policy prompted KBS to try to do a brief survey of practices in various markets in relation to rules regarding ownership of banks by non-bank companies. … [Read More]
New indie music sites
Those who keep an eye on my blogroll (I know that’s not very many of you) will have noticed that I recently added one or two new sites to my list of Music blog links. Firstly, Indieful RoK, a new blog of news about the Korean indie rock scene. Its creators are Helikoppter, aka Anna … [Read More]
Welcome to The East
Hungry Brits frequenting central London restaurants for their periodic fix of bulgogi and kimchi will probably have noticed, on their way out, a pile or two of the local Korean-language newspapers. The two main newspapers, as far as I am aware, are the Korean Weekly and the Hanin Herald, though sometimes the UK Life, Eurojournal … [Read More]
Welcome, Korean Artists
For a number of years, Korean artists in the UK have gathered together more or less formally in an Association to speak for their collective needs and promote their collective talents. They have, for example, lobbied over the years for the establishment of the Korean Cultural Centre. The most recent event to have showcased some … [Read More]
2008 Korea trip – the photos
In the past few days I’ve loaded into Flickr some photos from my recent long weekend in Seoul and Busan. Nothing terribly sophisticated, and I rather overdid the pictures of pretty palace rooves, but I had some nice weather. Photos are on my Flickr page: Busan | Changdeokgung | Deoksugung | Namdaemun There are also … [Read More]
Korean publicity: could do better
This post has been simmering in my brain for a while. And it’s been through many versions. The version I choose to publish here is simply a listing of factual observations. The version that would be much more satisfying to write would be the extended rant that speculates as to why it is that Koreans … [Read More]
Ambassador Ja in the House of Lords
In the very same room where, nine months ago, two DPRK defectors told their stories, last night the DPRK ambassador addressed members of both Houses of Parliament and answered questions. It was disappointing that so few MPs were there (1), but their absence made sure there was plenty of room for members of the public … [Read More]
Together we shall open a road to advancement
Here is a translation of Lee Myung-bak’s inaugural address on 25 February, typeset as I received it. Some of the line breaks may be accidental, but most of them seem to be intended. Fellow Koreans, seven million Korean compatriots living abroad, former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun, Kim Dae Jung, Kim Young-sam, and Chun Doo-hwan, President Islam … [Read More]