Great to see so many young people from South Korea raising awareness of the ‘comfort women’ issue in London today, performing and protesting at the Japanese embassy and Trafalgar Square. [Read More]
LKL articles by 앤서방 (page 2)
Pojang Korean Street Food opens up in Druid Street Market
Another debut – today is the first day of the Pojang kimbab stall at Druid Street Market in Bermondsey. With so many Korean ‘street food’ ventures trying to reinvent the Korean street food wheel (bulgogi burittos, kimchi burgers, ramen burgers etc) it’s nice to see this enterprising English couple recreating the simple authentic food they … [Read More]
Concert notes: Joo Yeon Sir’s Festival Hall debut
UK based violinist Joo Yeon Sir made a thrilling debut at The Royal Festival Hall last night. “Lament for the Valley”, a short piece for violin and orchestra, was composed for her by Karl Jenkins as part of his 2015 Music Award, in association with Classic FM. Conducted by Jenkins, Sir delivered an exhilarating, technically brilliant … [Read More]
A surviving victim’s view on the Korea-Japan Comfort Women “deal”
In September this year 90 year old survivor of WW2 Japanese military sexual slavery Kim Bok-dong gave two public talks in London, at the Korean Cultural Centre and at Goldsmiths University. She said she had come, ‘not as a victim but as a human rights activist’, and explained that the surviving ladies were not just … [Read More]
A souvenir of the Old Justice
A bit of London’s Korean history dumped outside the sadly missed Old Justice pub. These plywood panels would make a great focal point on the wall of your luxury penthouse apartment. Old Justice proprieter and head chef Mr. Kim is now running K Place in the City of London, serving quality authentic Korean food to … [Read More]
London Korean restaurants – the scores on the doors
When chosing a Korean (or any other) restaurant you might want to consider their food hygiene rating. The score (0-5) can be found by searching www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk. Full reports are not made public but can, if you’re that curious, be obtained through a freedom of information request to the relevant council. The idea of the ratings … [Read More]
Found in London’s Japan Centre: kimchi lemonade
Kimchi flavoured lemonade is down in price – can’t imagine why. But according to Rocket News, who have also sampled curry, octopus and chili pepper Ramune sodas: “It’s damn good!” [Read More]
Farewell to the Old Justice, Seoul Bakery, Woojung and more
A sad loss to London’s Korean scene, The Old Justice pub in Bermondsey closed a few weeks ago. It was an unlikely Korean restaurant in a homely South London boozer immortalised in Paul McCartney’s ‘London Town’ video. I’ve heard Mr Kim is planning on opening another place in the City. And of course all the … [Read More]
Namul – a nice bibimbap place in Brighton
A nice Korean place to know about if you’re ever in Brighton. ‘Namul’, which opened six weeks ago, is right in the thick of the trendy North Lanes, serving bibimbap and sushi in a small no frills little cafe style place. The bibimbap comes with white, brown or black rice and a great selection of … [Read More]
A Korean folk-art inspiration for Abba costume?
Burning issue of 2015: was Frida from Abba’s 1975 Owe Sandström designed cat costume inspired by this Korean 민화 (‘minhwa’, folk art) tiger painting? A lengthy Google trawl revealed nothing conclusive. The Abba museum in Stockholm replicates the design on mugs, t shirts and keyrings but to me they look like souvenirs from Insadong. You … [Read More]
Na-Young Jeon to feature in Les Mis in West End
Not sure if this has been flagged up before, but the current production of Les Misérables has a Korean lead in Na-Young Jeon as Fantine. The first Korean lead role in a West End musical? I went last night and she was fantastic, as were the rest of the cast. Na-Yeong Jeon is scheduled for … [Read More]
Postcard Teas, near Bond Street tube – for your supplies of Korean nokcha
One of my top tips for London is Postcard Teas, tucked away in Dering Street, close to Bond Street and Oxford Circus. The genial and knowledgeable proprieter Timothy D’Offay sources his teas from small family estates using traditional tea growing methods, and the impressive list includes fine teas from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, India, Sri … [Read More]
Naneun Ggomsuda: His Highness gets lampooned in Oxford and London
A guest post from Andrew Jackson, covering the recent visit to the UK of the team which brings you the world’s most popular political podcast. Last month saw the arrival of the ‘Naneun Ggomsuda’ (‘I’m a Petty Minded Creep’) for sell-out shows in London and Oxford. The political satire podcast show, now transferred to the … [Read More]