The programme for the 2024 K-Music Festival is quite possibly the best yet. For LKL, the real gems are the opening and closing events. We hear that the National Changgeuk Company‘s Lear, which opens the festival, is every bit as good as their Trojan Women, which we raved about; and for the closing event pretty … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 5)
August events 2024
Normally at this time of year Korean events in London take a bit of a break and the focus switches to Edinburgh for the Fringe. And yes, there’s plenty to justify a trip to Edinburgh if you can find affordable accommodation, not least the retrospective of Do Ho Suh’s work at NGS Modern One, which … [Read More]
July events 2024
July is another relatively busy month with plenty to satisfy most tastes. So far, my personal priorities are the KCC’s exhibition featuring works by members of the Korean National Academy of Arts, the discussion-concert by the “Godfather of K-pop” in Oxford, and I might be tempted to re-watch the psychological thriller Sleep when it comes … [Read More]
June events 2024
A busy month, the highlight probably being IU’s performance at Wembley Arena. Glastonbury ticketholders will also be able to see Seventeen on the main Pyramid stage. For those who follow hallyu stars from an earlier generation, you can meet former FinKL member Ok Joo-hyun who is in town to mark the London production of the … [Read More]
May events 2024
May is getting very busy, making up for the slow three months we’ve had since the end of January. Highlights include the Festival of Korean Dance, Min Jin Lee in Cambridge, a return visit by Jaha Koo with his historically-aware talking rice cookers, and London Craft Week. Live performance Jambinai play Dingwalls, Camden, on 15 … [Read More]
April events 2024
Here’s the list for April. Plenty on offer for music fans; for others the main interest is outside of London, and in the new books coming out this month. Exhibitions In Manchester, Jane Jin Kaisen’s Halmang is at esea contemporary until 21 April. In Bristol, Young In Hong’s Five Acts is at Spike Island all … [Read More]
Oh Myung-hee’s tribute to female spirituality and springtime
If you find yourself in the Sloane Square area over the Easter period, do pop in to the Garrison Chapel in the new Chelsea Barracks development. It’s a lovely, airy space used primarily for exhibitions, and currently there’s a group show, launched on International Women’s Day, featuring work by eighteen female artists. One of those … [Read More]
2024 Festival of Korean Dance programme details announced
Last year, the Festival of Korean Dance for the first time played to audiences in Salford, Coventry and Brighton. The year the festival extends its reach into Scotland, with its first performance in Glasgow. Salford, Newcastle and Bournemouth will also get to experience one of the productions. The full press release follows, with links at … [Read More]
Review: Hera Hyesang Park’s stunning London debut
When faced with the choice of attending a recital by an opera singer I usually politely decline, whatever the reputation of the singer. The prospect of what is usually a selection of operatic arias performed outside of their dramatic context holds little appeal for me, particularly if the recital is accompanied by a piano reduction … [Read More]
March events 2024
Here are the main events for March. Despite the respectable length of the list, I can’t help feeling that since January, which felt crazily busy, we’ve been in a slight holding pattern: pre-pandemic we’d got used to a relatively frequent schedule of events at SOAS and the KCC, but things haven’t yet got back into … [Read More]
Youngsun Yoon’s Kiss: a minimalist study in the difficulty of communicating
Over the years, Londoners have had a few, but not many, opportunities to see the work of a Korean playwright on stage. The count increases if you include musicals or performances in provincial theatres or at the Edinburgh fringe, where each year you can normally find at least one 50-minute Korean stage production, but if … [Read More]
February events 2024
Here’s what we know of so far for this month, though experience tells us that more events will spring up without much prior notice… Live performance Kim’s Convenience continues until 10 Feb. They’ve squeezed in an additional performance on 9 Feb due to popular demand, but it’s now returns only. LKL review here Dancer / … [Read More]
Kim’s Convenience: a great family night out
On a cold January night, if you’re looking for some warm and cozy entertainment, Kim’s Convenience fits the bill admirably. The Park Theatre’s intimate stage has a homely feel. The scene, needless to say, is a convenience store, provisioned, as it happens, courtesy of New Malden’s Korea Foods. Audience members in the front row of … [Read More]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2023
2023: a year when an environmental artist from Gwangju shared a hug with the King; four K-pop princesses went to Buckingham Palace and received honorary MBEs; and the tolling bell of Jirisan’s Daewonsa temple was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The year marked the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UK … [Read More]
A look back at LEAFF and LKFF 2023
We didn’t get around to writing any detailed reviews of the films that screened at the two big festivals in the autumn of 2023, so it’s time to try to pull some thoughts together before the memories fade entirely, jostled sideways by new ones. There were some sparkly new films which were fun to watch … [Read More]
2024 New Year Address to the Nation by President Yoon Suk Yeol
Sourced from the presidential website: My fellow citizens, and 7 million overseas Koreans, The year of the blue dragon has dawned. I wish everyone a Happy New Year. What wish did you make in the first morning of the New Year? While everyone’s wish may differ, I believe we all share the same hope – … [Read More]