In a seemingly never-ending quest to blame someone for the profits that Lone Star made out of their KEB investment, the prosecutors recently knocked on the doors of Citibank’s Seoul office and impounded paperwork and PCs. The BBC reports (17 October): The investigation follows claims that KEB’s financial ill-health had been exaggerated so as to … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 218)
Daniel Gordon’s latest, and other NY Times DPRK coverage
The coverage at the NY Times in the past few days has been something else. A piece on Daniel Gordon’s third film on the DPRK, Crossing the Line (Image above, from VeryMuchSo Productions), which premiered at PIFF recently. I hope it comes to the UK soon. I’ve just emailed Nick Bonner to find out. Some … [Read More]
More commentary on DPRK nukes
The commentary from Kim Myong Chol published in the Asia Times Online on Oct 6 is puzzling. As the Asia Times explains, Kim Myong-chol is author of a number of books and papers in Korean, Japanese and English on North Korea. He is executive director of the Centre for Korean-American Peace. He has a PhD … [Read More]
New Malden’s role in Reading’s success
From the FT on 13 October Reading fly high on the wings of Seol By Jonathan Wilson As explanations for a good start to the season go, the fact that your ground is less than an hour’s drive from New Malden rarely features. There can be little doubt, though, that the main reason Reading approach … [Read More]
King and the Clown – the print is here
Jase over at koreanfilm.org.uk gives some of the background for the King and Clown’s non-appearance last week. The good news is, the print is in London. Keep monitoring the LFF or Jase’s website for updates as to a screening in the near future. [Read More]
Seoul’s hanoks
There was a feature in FT a couple of weeks ago on the Bukchon district of Seoul. It’s a place as far as you can get from Apgujeong in terms of style of living. It’s the sort of place where Kim Ki-duk might be caught filming traditional housing as seen in 3-Iron, and is inhabited … [Read More]
Winners and losers in Korean equities
KBS reported recently (in an article so confused in its arithmetic as to be downright misleading – and frankly makes you wonder whether they’ve got anywhere near reality) how foreigners made $90bn gains on Korean stocks last year. I’m sure there are rogue nationalistic elements around who might lament the fact that anyone apart from … [Read More]
Korean marketing moves up a level
Yesterday’s (London) Times had a surprise in store. At the bottom of the front page was a promise of the following material in the supplement: “Dear Bel Mooney: I need sex by arrangement”. But the supplement was not the usual Times2. It was a 12-page “Focus Report” on South Korea — A cultural rebirth. It … [Read More]
The versatile Uhm Jung-hwa (엄정화)
A rather silly item in the Chosun Ilbo (entitled Singer’s Hotpants Inflame Cyberspace) has alerted me to an actress that I hadn’t really focused on before. She’s been in films that I’ve seen and vaguely registered as quite interesting, or films that I’ve missed and am eager to see. I haven’t heard her sing, and … [Read More]
Your help requested again
Two questions from a reader from Manchester: Does anyone know of Korean (or Korean diaspora) artists living and working in Britain? Does anyone know of any Korean societies in Manchester? Please leave comments below if you can help [Read More]
The DPRK’s export economy
The (London) Times reminds us that in a country which is alleged to rely on illegitimate foreign exchange earnings, the effectiveness of sanctions against legitimate trade is not going to hurt much. The North Korean military and ruling elite have held off political collapse in the years since the end of the Cold War thanks … [Read More]
November and December at Asia House
Asia House’s programme for November and December landed on the doormat yesterday. A very enticing programme of events for followers of Korean culture, and a good reason to join, if you haven’t already. The big events coming up are the art exhibition “Through the Looking Glass” and the performances of Oh Tae-suk’s version of Romeo … [Read More]
Chuseok celebrations at Asia House
The Chuseok celebrations at Asia House on 12 October, though a couple of days late for the festival itself, were warmly received by a capacity audience. Dr Keith Howard from SOAS gave a useful introduction to the meaning of Chuseok, and also explained the genesis of one of the instruments being played that evening — … [Read More]
British birdman fights for Korean environment
A recent article in the Hankyoreh, forwarded by Tom Coyner, highlighted another Korean environmental issue which I hadn’t come across before: the destruction of an important mudflat area at Saemangeum on the Byeonsan peninsula on the West of Korea in order to build – well, they’re not quite sure what. But reclaiming 99,000 acres of … [Read More]
Kaya in top 10 unusual restaurants
In last Saturday’s Times, in The Knowledge listings supplement (7-13 October), there was a list of top 10 unusual restaurants in London, as ranked by Square Meal. Kaya, 42 Albermarle Street, is in the list. This is something of an oddity among the ranks of sleek, modish Mayfair restaurants, but it’s well worth seeking out … [Read More]
A regulatory nerd picks apart a Hankyoreh article
An interesting article (at least for that tiny population of amateur Koryologists whose day job involves bank regulatory capital ratios) in the Hankyoreh about Kookmin’s acquisition of Korea Exchange Bank. As usual though, one gets frustrated reading stories written by people who don’t have a clue what they’re talking about and which are not properly … [Read More]