There are plenty of anthologies of Korean translated fiction available, and many of them are edited and / or translated by Bruce Fulton, usually with Ju-Chan Fulton involved in the project too. I recently enjoyed the Fultons’ collection The Future of Silence, which reintroduced me to the format after an absence of rather too long. … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 43)
2017 travel diary 6: a little night music at the Gyeongbokgung
Seoul, Wednesday 3 May 2017, 7pm. The beginning of May is a busy time in Seoul’s royal palaces. The UNESCO listed ceremony, the Jongmyo rituals in honour of the Royal Ancestors, always takes place the first Sunday in May. Children’s Day also falls around that time, and this year, Buddha’s Birthday and in the days … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 5: Wolbong’s hermitage and Buddha’s Birthday at Bongamsa
Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Wednesday 3rd May 2017, 4am. An early start this morning is required to beat the crowds. Slightly groggy, Master Oh, Kyung-sook and I drag ourselves into the car at 4:30am and drive for half-hour or so to Bongamsa. We get the last space in the temple’s car park. Even at that time in the … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 4: The Mungyeong tea bowl festival
Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Tuesday 2 May 2017, 1:30pm. Mungyeong Saejae, the pass high in the hills above the town of Mungyeong, is the place where Gyeongsang province meets Chungcheong province, and the place where the Yeongnamdaero – the old road between Seoul and Busan – crosses the Baekdudaegan, Korea’s mountain backbone. On the Mungyeong side of … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 3: Sancheong – two festivals in bright pink
Donguibogam Village, Sancheong Country, Sunday 30th April, 5pm. Each time I visit Sancheong, something has changed. This time, on the edge of Donguibogam Village, Sancheong’s centre of traditional medicine culture, a comfortable hotel has been built – as far as I am aware, the first hotel (as opposed to pension) in the county. Very convenient … [Read More]
May events 2017
May is a big month for ceramics; and Youn Sun Nah celebrates her new album with a performance at Ronnie Scotts: Performance Say Sue Me are at 100 Club supporting Japanese group Otoboke Beaver on 1 May Kyung-wha Chung plays unaccompanied Bach at the Barbican on 10 May The Barberettes return to London, with Sultan of … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 2: The Gaya royal tombs in Haman County
Gaya-eup, Haman-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Sunday 30 April, 12 noon. Ever since I had seen a small ancient Gaya kingdom burial area in the hills above Saengcho, a town in Sancheong County, I had been intrigued. The tombs’ location was so different from the imposing tumuli laid out in the plains of Gyeongju or the geomantically auspicious … [Read More]
2017 travel diary 1: Min Young-ki’s solo exhibition in Busan
Seoul Station, Saturday 29 April 2017, 12:30pm. It is the first full day of my Korea trip. I had arrived in Seoul the previous evening, catching the bus to my mid-range hotel near Jogyesa. I had found my favourite coffee shop, had dinner with good friends in Hoban, a traditional, earthy eating house in Nakwondong, … [Read More]
That Robert Kelly BBC interview…
Gathered together in one place for your entertainment… The original live BBC interview with Robert Kelly in March 2017: A follow-up interview with the whole family: Ellen DeGeneres analyses the footage: And the best spoof I’ve come across: The Guardian has an interview with Robert Kelly here. [Read More]
Book review: Song Sokze — The Amusing Life
Song Sokze: The Amusing Life Translated by Se-un Kim Dalkey Archive, 2016, 233pp Originally published as 재미나는 인생, Kang Publishing Ltd, 1997 The most recent book to be discussed at the KCC’s monthly book club was Song Sokze’s The Amusing Life, a collection of around 50 short “stories”. None of these pieces will detain you … [Read More]
Kimchee opens new St Pancras restaurant
When Kimchee Restaurant opened up in Holborn in 2011 it was one of the few Korean establishments in London to invest really heavily in the decor and fittings. Their second restaurant, recently opened behind St Pancras station, continues the trend. It also has table-top BBQs, and I hear they had some half-price deals to celebrate … [Read More]
The world’s first newspaper?
“Why did no one inform me that this was being made?” said King Seonjo (r. 1567–1608) on 28 November 1577. Concerned “that information about the court could potentially be circulated to wider circles in the elite” the king exiled the people responsible for the news-sheet. Jieun Choi of Korea Exposé has the fascinating story. Kim … [Read More]
London and Seoul sign Friendship City agreement
When Seoul Mayor Park Wonsoon was in town yesterday he signed a “friendship city” agreement with London Mayor Sadiq Khan at City Hall. According to Yonhap, the agreement is “aimed at strengthening cooperation in nine sectors including economic democratization, improved response to climate change and digital renovation.” Earlier in the day Mayor Park was at … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Chosun Paintings — Beyond Borders, Beauty.
When going along to an exhibition of work by North Korean artists you’re not quite sure what to expect. David Heather’s collection that was exhibited at La Galleria in 2007 had something for all tastes, including propaganda posters; a genre, influenced by western painting styles, that might be dismissed as Juche kitsch; and Chosonwha, which … [Read More]
Korean performers needed for Hull City of Culture Gwangju project
dreamthinkspeak, pioneers of site responsive performance, are creating a new production entitled ONE DAY MAYBE as part of the HULL CITY of CULTURE programme of events. The production is scheduled for September this year. ONE DAY, MAYBE is inspired by the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising in South Korea. The project casts an eye on the … [Read More]
April events 2017
A busy month for music, with a two-day conference at SOAS, a tour from Jambinai and the first Korean Sounds concert, among many other things. In addition, this month marks the third anniversary of the Sewol sinking, and there are at least three commemorative events that I know of so far, with probably more that … [Read More]