The panel and attendance list of the 8th International Conference on North Korean Human Rights & Refugees was a who’s who of North Korean experts and Koreanists in general (1). As expected, there was no representation from the DPRK embassy. Given that more than one panellist characterised past conferences as “people getting together to bash … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 194)
Suju confirmed as LKL’s top drawer
I’ve been trawling the 2007 website statistics for interesting trends. Search terms, popular pages and the like. I wish I had something earth-shattering to report, but the trends in terms of readers’ interests stay pretty consistent. The thing I notice on a daily basis is that the same old (and I mean old) posts keep … [Read More]
Contemporary Korean class struggles: a marxist analysis
Those Koreanists who looked at the timing of the talk by Loren Goldner and decided to give it a miss were probably well advised. 6pm on a Saturday night is not the best time to pull in the punters. But inside the rather pokey Kings Cross bookshop it was standing room only. Those who turned … [Read More]
Books to look forward to in 2008
Here’s some of the books I’ll be looking out for in 2008. First, Mark James Russell’s Pop Goes Korea From kim chee to kim chic! South Korea came from nowhere in the 1990s to become one of the biggest producers of pop content (movies, music, comic books, TV dramas, online gaming) in Asia-and the West. … [Read More]
Inheriting the gifts of grief: Brenda Paik Sunoo’s moving memoir
Brenda Paik Sunoo: Seaweed and Shamans – Inheriting the gifts of grief Seoul Selection, April 2006 I remember logging this book in my memory sometime in early 2006, having read some advance notice of in, I think, the Seoul Selection weekly email. I didn’t read the small print too closely, and confess I didn’t read … [Read More]
Sex, modernity and the Korean war: a review of Ahn Junghyo’s Silver Stallion
Ahn Junghyo: Silver Stallion – a novel of Korea Soho Press, 1990 First published in Seoul in 1986 Translated from the Korean by the author As the book opens, we encounter a small village which is somehow untouched by the Korean war which seems to have passed them by. The old order, personified by Old … [Read More]
January Events 2008
Visual Arts Arcadia continues at I-MYU till 14 January. The next show will be from 31 January featuring Bon-a Koo and Yeonsoo Ha. Francesca Cho participates in a World Religion Day exhibition at Novas Gallery, the Contemporary Urban Centre, 73-81 Southwark Bridge Rd, London SE1 0NQ, from 18 January. And, if you happen to be … [Read More]
Some New Year drumming
First, a video posted to YouTube on New Year’s Eve: a Korea-Japan collaboration in Los Angeles, from Doppo Nagata. “New year celebration of dance and music 2008” from Los Angeles, California. “Japan-Korea cross-cultural future traditional music and dance”. Music composed and produced by Doppo Nagata (Soul of Japan and beyond). Choreography by Soo Hyang Lee … [Read More]
DPRK new year editorial 2008
A Joint New Year Editorial of the leading DPRK newspapers, recently forwarded by the DPRK embassy. Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) — Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi today released the joint New Year editorial “Glorify This Year of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the DPRK as a Year of Historical Turn Which … [Read More]
New Year’s resolutions
1 I will free myself from the daily post Having managed to maintain one post per day for the past 15 months or so, even when on holiday, I’ve now proved to myself I can do it. To be honest, it’s never been much of a struggle to find something to write about, and it’s … [Read More]
LKL 2007 Quiz of the Year – the answers
Question 1: Corporate crooks and corruption Match the alleged quote with the appropriate chaebol The conglomorate had run a vast network that bribed government officials, prosecutors, tax collectors, journalists and scholars I don’t want to take a gamble on causing a crisis in the country’s economy The sentence of one year and six months is … [Read More]
The London Korean Links Awards 2007
Following the success of last year’s equivalent post here are the winners and losers of the second annual LKL Awards. Again, a personal and unscientific selection. Man of the Year Last year there was a clear winner: a man who had been in the press all year with little but positive coverage. This year started … [Read More]
Review of the London Korean year 2007
Having had the big programme of events of Think Korea 2006, I had thought that 2007 was going to be disappointing. But as it turned out the range of events in 2007 was if anything greater. Performing arts On the stage we have had a re-run of the martial arts comedy Jump and the same … [Read More]
Album review: Bada #3 — Made in Sea
After her lively second album, Bada’s third is a big let-down. Gone are the catchy pop tunes which show off her vocal range and bring a smile to the face. Instead we are faced with a run-of-the-mill R&B and dance collection, which could have been put together by anyone. The voice is still unmistakably Bada’s … [Read More]
Thank You!
Thanks to all those who have in different ways contributed to LKL this year. In no particular order: The guest contributors, who provide coverage that I am unqualified to provide, thus adding so much value. Jennifer for her lively accounts of some of the special London events. We look forward to your book next year, … [Read More]
Koreans and Handball
A message recently received from a visitor to this site. Do Koreans in London play Handball or want to play? Thames Handball in Kingston upon Thames need players of all standards- men and women or children. see website http://www.thameshandball.com Also NEW The South Korean movie, “The Best Moment of Our Lives,” will be released in … [Read More]