Nearly three years after it was stolen, and a few months after a false alarm in which people thought it had turned up in the possession of a Bulgarian gypsy, Korean violinist Min-jin Kym is reunited with her Stradivarius. Great news. Links: Missing Stradivarius found, BBC, 30 July 2013 Famed Stradivarius violin owned by Min-Jin … [Read More]
LKL articles by Philip Gowman (page 90)
Book review: Martin Limón — The Joy Brigade
Martin Limón’s eighth novel in the Ernie Bascom and George Sueño series covers new ground in many respects. It is the first novel in which we see Sueño on his own, not accompanied by his buddy Bascom. And it is the first time that Limon has ventured to locate the plot in North Korea. This … [Read More]
Sungfeel Yun finalist for Broomhill National Sculpture Prize 2013
Congratulations to Sungfeel Yun for making it to the list of finalists for the 2013 National Sculpture Prize which is held at Broomhill Sculpture Gardens near Barnstaple in Devon. The exhibition will be on until 30 September, and the winner announced in October. You can vote for Sungfeel’s work on the competition website. [Read More]
Twinsters book deal announced
That sure is fast work: Twinsters Sam Futurman and Anais Bordier have signed a deal for the book of the film – and the film isn’t even made yet. According to AP, Penguin’s US affiliate G.P Putnam’s Sons will be publishing the memoir, which will be coming out in late 2014 – in time for … [Read More]
Kahoidong gets a Royal Visitor
HRH the Duke of Gloucester has been in Seoul representing the Queen for the formalities which mark the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire on 27 July. With Ambassador Wightman and the veterans minister Mark Francois he met with President Park Geun-hye, who said she was looking forward to her state visit to the … [Read More]
Korean artists at the Slade 2013 MA/MFA degree show: the eternal cycles of life and creation
At the various London art college degree shows, you can usually find a Korean artist or two whose work you have already seen at one or more of the galleries and group shows around town. And you’ll also find maybe one or two people you’ve missed up until now. At the Slade MFA / MA … [Read More]
Photos of King Taejo’s tomb in Kaesong
The Rodong Sinmun has some nice pictures and a brief article on the tomb of Wang Kon, founder of the Koryo dynasty as King Taejo. The tomb is one of the Historic Monuments and Sites of Kaesong recently entered into the UNESCO list of world heritage. Update: links to the full set of Rodong Sinmun’s … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Only One – another pleasing show from Mokspace
Once again Mokspace’s most recent exhibition, a group show by Korean and UK-based jewellers, presented a range of desirable and reasonably affordable work. From the playful birds of Yu Jin Lee and rabbit-heads of Yeseul Seo to the work of Hyeju Nam which looks like eccentric Gerard Hoffnung-style musical instruments; from the colourful, rustic tubes … [Read More]
Stoker fails to impress FT
Oh dear. The FT really doesn’t like Park Chan-wook’s Stoker. “Stoker aims for enigmatic but bulleyes incoherent instead,” says Raphael Abraham, reviewing the DVD release in the Weekend edition on 6 July 2013. “Park Chan-wook constructs every shot with maximum flourish while plotlines appear fitfully and then die from neglect,” he adds, concluding that “after … [Read More]
The Berlin File – so slick it’s really rather dull
A plot which involves a dodgy international arms deal, a secret multibillion dollar bank account belonging to the extended family of Kim Jong-il and a power struggle in the wake of Kim Jong-un’s succession. A list of characters which includes operatives from the CIA, Mossad, and both North and South Korean security agencies, plus would-be … [Read More]
Tireni to represent UK in “Quiz on Korea” final
It was a high-pressure day, with more than a dozen competitors hoping for the chance to travel to Seoul to take on winners from around the world on KBS TV. A taxing multiple choice test, supplemented by a brief interview, whittled the contestants down to a final five, for a quick-fire live quiz of 25 … [Read More]
A Soldier’s Tale opening pays tribute to the sacrifice of the veterans
Three years ago, the KCC hosted a special exhibition commemorating 60 years after the start of the Korean War. 40 Korean artists were invited to submit works inspired by themes related to the war, and these works were then auctioned in aid of British war veterans. This year is 60 years after the Korean War … [Read More]
How can they be so dumb?
I’m just wondering how a TV station can broadcast anything that is so obviously a wind-up. Needless to say, the YouTube videos of the stupid newscast have been removed, with the TV station claiming breach of copyright. The KTVU announcer was careful to pronounce Mr Fuk so that his name rhymed with “Luke”, rather than … [Read More]
July Events 2013
Here are the events for July that I know of so far. I’m expecting that the exhibition at Asia House entitled A Soldier’s Tale could be the highlight of the month. As you may have noticed, I can’t keep up with the number of Korean Language Meetups and K-pop parties, so I have dropped those … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Kimsooja – To Breathe: Bottari, Venice 2013
In Kimsooja’s work commissioned for the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year it was the pavilion itself that was the installation. The Korean Pavilion, designed by Seok Chul Kim and Franco Mancuso is the most recent of the 25 national pavilions to have been constructed in the Giardini and opened for business in … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Who is Alice? – Works from the MMCA collection at Spazio Lightbox, Venice
In previous years, the Venice Biennale has featured a number of Korea-related shows as collateral events scattered around the islands, giving a dedicated visitor the opportunity to walk through the backstreets and explore the vaporetto network while enjoying new artworks. In 2013 most of the Korean artists were gathered together in one place, in an … [Read More]