London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Discussion: A Korean micro-reunification

In this discussion, authors Jihyun Park and Seh-lynn Chai, respectively from North Korea and South Korea, will talk about what they shared and what differences they felt they had, while writing The Hard Road Out together. How did they overcome that sense of alienation? Could their encounter serve as a micro-reunification model going forward? The … [Read More]

Homeland – A new play by HeeJin Kim

“I just want to start a new life in this country. I worked so hard you know, to f*cking survive.” Theatre Company Knee presents the world premiere of Homeland, a comedy-drama that explores the idea of home from the perspective of recent migrants to the UK. Written by award-winning Korean Playwright HeeJin Kim and featuring … [Read More]

Son Heung-min reaches another milestone

The 2020/21 season isn’t over yet, but Tottenham’s Son Heung Min and Harry Kane have just become the top goal-scoring partnership in the history of the English Premiere League. The milestone was reached in Spurs’s 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace yesterday, when Son assisted the final goal from Kane. Son scored his 100th goal for … [Read More]

Bora Kwon interviewed in the Guardian

Bora Kwon, Labour councillor for Hammersmith and Fulham, and one of only two councillors of Korean background in the UK, gets a nice interview in the Guardian this week. She talks about her life in the UK, politics and of course health. Read the interview in full here. You can follow Councillor Kwon on Twitter … [Read More]

The Kimjang Project is officially launched

The Kimjang Project launched yesterday in New Malden with congratulatory messages from the Mayor of Kingston Thay Thayalan and the local MP Sir Ed Davey among others. The project celebrates the various aspects of kimjang, for example the communal character of kimchi-making and its health-giving properties. New Malden, sometimes known as New Mal-dong (뉴몰동), as … [Read More]

Book review: Min Kym — Gone

Min Jin Kym: Gone — A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung Viking, 2017, 256pp When Min Jin Kym’s Gone came out, I mentally heaved a sigh of relief. Here’s one Korea-related book, I thought, among the dozens that will be published this year, that I don’t need to read. The story of how her … [Read More]

The 73rd Independence Day celebrations in New Malden

Kingston’s Koreans today celebrated the 73rd anniversary of Independence Day. It was the first public engagement of the new ambassador, HE Park Eun-ha, who is to be thanked for making the time: she only arrived in London to take up her post two days ago. In attendance were Kingston’s Mayor, Thay Thayalan, and the leader … [Read More]