Hands up, anyone who had actually heard of the Cairo Declaration before this SOAS conference designed to mark its 80th anniversary? I certainly hadn’t. Winston Churchill was in Cairo with a contingent of over 100 diplomatic and administrative staff, in late November 1943, where along with Chang Kai-shek and President Roosevelt they were starting to … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 7)
Focus Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery: well worth a second look
This month the Saatchi gallery is playing host to several showcases of Korean art and technology. From 29 October, KOCCA is organising Oulim, a digital media art showcase that celebrates 140 years of UK Korea diplomatic relations; next week sees StART art fair which always has a strong Korean representation as its origins can be … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival Announces 2023 Programme
Yesterday the KCC released the final programme for the 2023 London Korean Film Festival. While in general 2023 has not so far been a stand-out year for Korean film, there’s plenty to enjoy here. I’m looking forward to seeing Hur Jin-ho’s latest, as his Christmas in August was one of the first Korean movies I … [Read More]
Jung Jae-il’s K-music opening concert leaves London wanting more
Ten years ago, the very first K-music festival concert, given by Won Il and the National Orchestra of Korea, was on the main stage at the Barbican. So for the first concert of the 10th anniversary K-music Festival it was the appropriate venue for Jung Jae-il to make his London debut. The Barbican is also … [Read More]
October events 2023
It’s coming up to film festival season, which brings the customary diary clashes. But also watch out for tube strikes, which if I remember right torpedoed at least one of the K-Music performances last year and promise to do the same this year. Performance The K-music Festival kicks off with: Jung Jae-il and the LSO … [Read More]
London Korean Film Festival announces 2023 dates and Special Focus strand
Details of the 2023 London Korean Film Festival are gradually coming out. BFI members may already have spotted, in the Oct-Nov catalogue, two LKFF screenings that will be at the BFI: Phantom (Lee Hae-young, 2023) on 4 Nov and Innocent Witness (Lee Han, 2019) on 5 Nov. Yesterday, the KCC officially announced the first round … [Read More]
September events 2023
This is the busiest month we can remember post-Covid for live events. And for K-pop it’s the busiest month ever, with the o2 Arena hosting no fewer than five nights of performance. Plus two superb dance companies and three talking rice cookers. Live performance: – Dance The Ambiguous Dance Company comes to the Coronet Theatre … [Read More]
Book review: JM Lee – Painter of the Wind
In The Investigation (2012, English version 2014), JM Lee gave readers an historical novel combined with a course in poetry appreciation. Somehow, it didn’t work for us. In Painter of the Wind, Lee gives his readers an historical novel combined with a course in art appreciation and it works a lot better. The novel was … [Read More]
Royal British Legion commemorates the Forgotten War
Seventy years to the day after the signing of the armistice, the Royal British Legion marked the anniversary of the so-called Forgotten War with dignity and style in Horseguards Parade, the venue for many ceremonials such as the Trooping of the Colour. In the presence of HRH the Duke of Gloucester, numerous veterans and their … [Read More]
August events 2023
August is relatively quiet in London, though K-pop fans will be able to enjoy Odd Eye Circle and W24 in London – tickets still available at time of writing. This is the calm before the storm: September has at least eight live pop and indie events. Outside of London, if you’ve managed to secure yourself … [Read More]
Koo Jeong-a at Venice Biennale 2024: “Scent Memory” Open Call
In March this year Arts Council Korea announced that Koo Jeong A would represent Korea in the 2024 Venice Biennale. Danish artistic director Jacob Fabricius and Korean curator Lee Seol-hui were appointed to curate the project, which is entitled “Odorama Cities”. According to the Korea Times, the 2024 project will transform ‘the entirety of the … [Read More]
Jungkook’s UK solo live TV debut
You had to be quick off the mark to secure a free ticket to see Jungkook’s al fresco performance of his recently-released single Seven for Friday’s edition of BBC’s The One Show. At LKL we don’t hang out in the right corners of social media and only heard about the event as the doors opened … [Read More]
Strangers Press releases a new series of eight short story translations
Strangers Press, which brought us Yeoyu, a series of eight translated short story chapbooks in 2019, this week released a follow-up. The new series is entitled Iyagi and features works by both established and emerging authors – including what seems to be a posthumously published work by Park Wansuh. According to the publisher, “Each of these … [Read More]
K-Music Festival 2023: the official press release
The KCC and Serious announce the line-up for the 10th iteration of the K-music Festival. Expect new music from Leenalchi and Jambinai, some new collaborations, and performers that are new to the festival. The festival runs from 1 October to 12 November. [Read More]
Book review: Hawon Jung – Flowers of Fire
Hawon Jung’s book is a thorough and very readable look at South Korea’s #MeToo movement and the problems of misogyny and gender discrimination that gave rise to it. Highly recommended. [Read More]
Book review: Cheon Myeong-kwan — Whale
The Man Booker International Prize started in its current annual form in 2016 and was famously won that year by Han Kang and Deborah Smith with The Vegetarian. Since then, hopes of a Korean repeat success have been kept alive with titles in the longlist (At Dusk (2019), Love in the Big City (2022)) and … [Read More]