The eleventh of the London Korean Film Festivals organised by the KCCUK opened on Thursday with a little sprinkling of stardust. Jung Woo-sung, who electrified the audience during the 2014 festival where he was the headline attraction, came to the opening night as just a regular guy wanting to watch a movie. But that didn’t … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 47)
BECTU: “Film festival sets disgraceful example in Living Wage Week”
Many of us enjoyed the London East Asia Film Festival recently, myself included. But let’s not forget the hard work of the staff who make it happen. BECTU, the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union, is supporting the temporary and part time workers who according to a news item on their website were paid below … [Read More]
Korean War not quite forgotten in Canary Wharf art trail
As we approach Remembrance Sunday, the walkways and open spaces of Canary Wharf have been adorned with works by artist Mark Humphrey in what is described as the UK’s first Remembrance Art Trail, in association with the Royal British Legion and constructed with the help of the Corps of Royal Engineers, consists of seven art … [Read More]
Jinjuu Mayfair opens
Marking the opening of Jinjuu Mayfair at 39 Albemarle Street W1S 4JQ there’s an interview with Judy Joo in Food Republic. There’s a nice quote about how she came to open her first restaurant at the beginning of last year: I got a random phone call. My business partner just cold-called me. He said “I’ve … [Read More]
Ambassador Hay talks to Korea Times
There’s a nice interview with Ambassador Hay in the Korea Times this week. In it, he gives us news about the UK participation in military exercises on the peninsula that had the North Koreans so riled (four Eurofighters will join in an aerial drill with Korean and US planes at Osan air base in Gyeonggi-do), … [Read More]
November events 2016
November is a big month for film, with the London Korean Film Festival which lasts from 3 Nov to 17 Nov and then moves on to the rest of the country. Full details on the festival website. All the London screenings and talks are on the LKL events calendar. Other events as follows: Exhibitions Riptide, the … [Read More]
New Paju footbridge honours Glorious Glosters
I am grateful to the Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK for alerting me to the recent opening of a new bridge – the “Gloucester Heroes Bridge” – commemorating the role of British forces (and it was not just the Glosters, though they are the regiment who feature most prominently in the accounts) … [Read More]
Park Chan-wook talks about Handmaiden, octopuses and more
Park Chan-wook discusses adapting Fingersmith to colonial Korea, adding racial and class barriers, collaborating with Jung Seo-kyung and filming intimate scenes. He reflects on lessons from Stoker, violence and symbolism, octopus imagery, working with his brother on Night Fishing, shamanistic themes, adaptation processes and making films for future Korean audiences. [Read More]
Train to Busan gets UK theatrical release
If you haven’t yet managed to see the zombie thrill fest Train to Busan (LKL review here) you can catch it in UK cinemas from 28 October 2016, courtesy of Studiocanal. More details on their PR’s website. [Read More]
Another take on Shin Sang-ok
The Korea Times has a nicely-timed memoir of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee covering their time in America immediately after their redefection in 1986. At over 4,000 words it’s a meaty article, and well worth the read, in particular touching on Shin’s impossible dream of a film about Genghis Khan. Thanks to Michael Duffy for … [Read More]
Korean theatres celebrate Shakespeare
“South Korean theaters have launched a series of reinterpreted Shakespearean plays for the fall-winter season of 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the globally revered British poet and playwright.” Full story on Yonhap [Read More]
FT sticks the boot into Reckitt Benckiser
In an article subtitled “Multinational group’s corporate culture is out of step with the public mood” the FT today laid into Reckitt Benckiser for its management and presentation of its troubles in Korea. It was dismaying to see an update mention the “HS Issue” in the same workaday tones as poor sales of the Wet … [Read More]
DPRK attacks UK’s participation in military exercises
I’m not sure that many people knew we were participating. But here’s what the official DPRK news agency has to say about it. Britain’s Decision to Dispatch Its Fighters to U.S.-S. Korea Joint Military Drill against DPRK Blasted Pyongyang, October 14 (KCNA) — A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK gave the following … [Read More]
Jambinai at the Oslo Hackney – a second-hand mini-review
We didn’t manage to get to Jambinai at the Oslo Hackney as this year. Nor it seems did the Guardian or Resonate, who have been diligent reviewers of the other K-Music gigs. Jambinai were certainly one of the highlights of last year’s festival – and I would have loved to have got to see them … [Read More]
Gig review: Patients + Idiotape @ Rich Mix
Sometimes you enjoy an event but don’t know what to say about it. Rock music is not one of my own core competencies. I know when a band enthuses me, but if asked to describe the style or genre, or to compare the musicians with other, possibly Western, reference points I’m usually at a loss. … [Read More]
Film review: The Lovers and the Despot
The way you watch Ross Adam’s and Robert Cannan’s The Lovers and the Despot is likely to depend on whether you know the story or not. To those who are coming to it afresh, this is an extraordinary tale which is another example of the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction: one of South … [Read More]