London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

The Shoes from Yang San Valley

Alone in his war-torn homeland, a young Korean boy has only the memory of a special pair of silk brocade shoes to remind him of the good days of the past and give him hope for the future. Written in English. With illustrations by Park Minja [Read More]

Love in Winter

An anthology of young adult stories that take place in early Korea. Illustrated by Park Minja The review by an Amazon user is very enthusiastic. [Read More]

MASH

Before the movie, this is the novel that gave life to Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, Hot Lips Houlihan, Frank Burns, Radar O’Reilly, and the rest of the gang that made the 4077th MASH like no other place in Korea or on earth. The doctors who worked in the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH) during the … [Read More]

Plays from Korea

No further information available. WorldCat lists it, but without giving any details of its contents. LTI Korea suggests it might contain one or more plays by Yu Chi-jin. The volume appears to be for sale (presumably as an eBook) from this source. Amazon US is currently listing a second-hand copy. [Read More]

In the Depths

The reading public of Korea was amazed when a reclusive housewife Moo-Sook Hahn “whisked away” the first prize in a contest for novel writing sponsored by a literary magazine in the early 1940’s with A Woman with a Lantern. Ever since, novelist Hahn received one literary prize or award after another including the Freedom Literature Award … [Read More]

The Martyred

Publisher description: During the early weeks of the Korean War, Captain Lee, a young South Korean officer, is ordered to investigate the kidnapping and mass murder of North Korean ministers by Communist forces. For propaganda purposes, the priests are declared martyrs, but as he delves into the crime, Lee finds himself asking: What if they … [Read More]

Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood

From the publisher’s website: In this autobiography, Richard E. Kim paints seven vivid scenes from a boyhood and early adolescence in Korea at the height of the Japanese occupation during WWII, 1932 to 1945. Taking its title from the grim fact that the occupiers forced the Koreans to renounce their own names and adopt Japanese … [Read More]

Anthology of Korean Poetry from the Earliest Era to the Present

From the back cover: This is the first comprehensive anthology of Korean poetry ever published in the English language. In it Peter H. Lee, a Korean scholar, has selected and translated the verse of his country, ranging from the beginning of the Silla Dynasty, in 57 B.C., to the middle of the twentieth century. LKL … [Read More]

Living Reed

Synopsis from Goodreads and Amazon: The Living Reed follows four generations of one family, the Kims, beginning with Il-han and his father, both advisors to the royal family in Korea. When Japan invades and the queen is killed, Il-han takes his family into hiding. In the ensuing years, he and his family take part in … [Read More]

Collected Short Stories from Korea

According to Charles Montgomery, this is the second compilation of Korean translated fiction. The collection includes the following stories An Su-gil: Annals of a Ranch Choe Cheong-hui: Chomnye Choi Tae-ung: Blood Phlegm Chu Yo-seop: Mama and the Boarder Chun Young-Taik: The Cow Chun Pi-Sook: Home-coming Hahn Moo-Sook: Halo around the Moon Kim Song-Han: Coming Home … [Read More]

Voices of the Dawn

A Selection of Korean Poetry from the Sixth Century to the Present Day Also available from LTI Korea. No further information available [Read More]

Modern Short Stories from Korea

The full text of this collection is now available online on Brother Anthony’s website. Charles Montgomery’s review provides the following information: “Ten of its 20 stories focus on “love and marriage,” and the rest are characterized as “social stories.” Most demonstrate a kind of depth and lack of didacticism that would soon almost vanish from … [Read More]

Before Love Fades Away

No further information available. But I am surprised to find that, according to WorldCat, there is a copy in a public library within a mile or two of LKL Towers. [Read More]

Folk Tales from Korea

From the publisher’s website: Folk Tales from Korea is a fun way to access to the Korean ethos.  Enjoy these folk tales handed down through the generations and you will gain a better understanding of the Korean people.  You will most certainly recognize the Confucius influence on people’s lives. “These 99 examples are as various as they are enjoyable, some … [Read More]