At Tonbridge school, visitors have been privileged to see the work in progress of Korean video artist Junebum Park. And pupils have been privileged to be subjects, almost like laboratory rats, in his latest work. Park is known, among other things, for his Puzzle series, in which students are filmed from above as they struggle … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 55)
A look back at the films and music of 2015
In the second of two articles (the first looked at the world of books) we look at some of the releases of 2015 that caught our eye. Film Two Kickstarter-funded films to which LKL contributed came to fruition: Twinsters, the story of twin sisters adopted in different continents who discover each other through Facebook; and … [Read More]
Theatre review: In-Sook Chappell — P’yongyang
After Mia Chung’s You For Me For You at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, which finished on 9 January, it was a relief to sit down to a play where you could believe in the characters and enjoy natural dialogue that you could imagine people uttering in real life. The production, in a room above an … [Read More]
A look back at the books of 2015
In place of our annual “LKL Awards” post, we look at some of the highlights of 2015 in the area of books, film and music. Apart from the field of literature in translation (and of course I’m talking Han Kang here), there are no clear winners or I haven’t covered enough ground to choose one. … [Read More]
Theatre Review: Mia Chung’s You for Me for You
I’m not quite sure what it was about You For Me For You that had me squirming uncomfortably in my seat after a few minutes – a condition in which I stayed for the remainder of the play. I don’t think it was the subject matter: the tales of hardship in North Korea outside of … [Read More]
Korea – Australia arts exchange: engaged, or just hanging out?
Catching your eyes as you leave the museum shop of Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art is a magazine with the arresting work of Lee Hyung-koo on the front cover. It certainly drew my attention as I reluctantly came to the end of my visit to the Asia Pacific Triennial. Taking a closer look, I noted … [Read More]
A review of the London Korean Year 2015
What were my highspots of the London Korean Year 2015? Read the below for some clues: Food 2015 was definitely the year that Korean food started consolidating its position in the UK. Here are a few highlights: The Anglo-Korean sauce company Yogiyo! got funding in business reality show Dragons’ Den; Judy Joo’s Jinjuu opened off Regent Street … [Read More]
Looking back at 2015: Domestic news
Our final look back at 2015: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea. In the news After 62 years of adultery being a criminal offence in the ROK, the constitutional court decided to decriminalise it by a vote of 7 to 2. Four out of ten married Korean males heaved a sigh of relief and shares … [Read More]
Double book review: two takes on Shin Sang-ok
Paul Fischer: A Kim Jong-il Production Penguin / Viking 2015, 353pp Steven Chung: Split Screen Korea – Shin Sang-ok and Postwar Cinema University of Minnesota Press 2014, 262pp The story of actress Choi Eun-hee and Shin Sang-ok combines elements of both romance and thriller as well as representing important phases in the history of film … [Read More]
Looking back at 2015: DPRK and regional news
In our third review of 2015, we look at some of the North Korea related news, and stories which put the peninsula in a wider East Asian context. DPRK Human rights and defectors Shin Dong-hyuk, the most prominent campaigner among the defector community, admitted that some of his testimony (eg, in Escape from Camp 14) … [Read More]
Looking back at 2015: Entertainment news
In the second of four retrospective articles, we recall some of the entertainment stories that caught our eye in 2015. We’ve left out a few of the more scurrilous stories. Also, a few sad deaths of people outside the entertainment industry. Entertainment Ode to My Father became the second-biggest box-office hit of all time, boosting … [Read More]
Looking back at 2015: Culture, sport and tourism
In the first of four articles looking back over 2015, we recall some of the culture, sports and heritage stories that made the news. Heritage The historic Baekje sites were listed by UNESCO as world heritage. UNESCO also listed in their Memory of the World register some Confucian woodblock texts and records of the family … [Read More]
January events 2016
Two highlights this month: In-Sook Chappell’s new play and Han Kang’s new novel. Performance There are still a couple of performances remaining of Mia Chang’s well-reviewed You for Me for You at the Jerwood Theatre upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre In-Sook Chappell’s new play, P’yongyang, is at the Finborough Theatre, 5 – 30 January. … [Read More]
Kim Jong Un’s 2016 New Year address
Here is the text of Kim Jong Un’s 2016 New Year Address, as published in today’s Rodong Sinmun: Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army, made his address on the New Year, Juche … [Read More]
President Park’s 2016 New Year Message
Here is the text of President Park Geun-hye’s 2016 New Year Message, sourced from the Blue House website. Fellow Koreans, The New Year of 2016 has dawned. In the Year of the Red Monkey, a symbol of creativity and wisdom, I hope every one of us will pool our creative enthusiasm and wisdom to make … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Korean artists at APT8
The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) has been hosting the Asia Pacific Triennial since 1993. The exhibition features artists from all over the region, and Korea has been represented from the start. The triennial is spread over two buildings (the QAG itself and the nearby Gallery of Modern Art which opened in 2006) which collectively are … [Read More]