The New York Korean Cultural Centre fits well into the chaotic streets of mid-town Manhattan. They’re both full of good things, a bit bewildering to the outsider, in need of a facelift, and short of space. I paid a visit at lunchtime yesterday, walking the 10 blocks from my boss’s office to the Centre at … [Read More]
Category: Living abroad (page 16)
IBK celebrates London Branch opening
Industrial Bank of Korea celebrated the opening of its London branch yesterday evening, at an event attended by the ambassador. Set out below is the ambassador’s speech. It is a great pleasure to be here with you all this evening. Firstly I would like to congratulate the Industrial Bank of Korea on opening its branch … [Read More]
New Malden’s role in Reading’s success
From the FT on 13 October Reading fly high on the wings of Seol By Jonathan Wilson As explanations for a good start to the season go, the fact that your ground is less than an hour’s drive from New Malden rarely features. There can be little doubt, though, that the main reason Reading approach … [Read More]
Seoul’s hanoks
There was a feature in FT a couple of weeks ago on the Bukchon district of Seoul. It’s a place as far as you can get from Apgujeong in terms of style of living. It’s the sort of place where Kim Ki-duk might be caught filming traditional housing as seen in 3-Iron, and is inhabited … [Read More]
Your help requested again
Two questions from a reader from Manchester: Does anyone know of Korean (or Korean diaspora) artists living and working in Britain? Does anyone know of any Korean societies in Manchester? Please leave comments below if you can help [Read More]
British birdman fights for Korean environment
A recent article in the Hankyoreh, forwarded by Tom Coyner, highlighted another Korean environmental issue which I hadn’t come across before: the destruction of an important mudflat area at Saemangeum on the Byeonsan peninsula on the West of Korea in order to build – well, they’re not quite sure what. But reclaiming 99,000 acres of … [Read More]
Careful not to try earning a little cash on the side
The Marmot has picked up a little news item from the Korean press: a couple of foreigners were caught out earning a little but of cash by getting bit-parts in Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, and they now face deportation. One of them was only in Korea on a 90 day tourist visa. Good news for … [Read More]
A sinister accident?
Just received this from Tom Coyner – a circular email sent by campaigner for DPRK human rights Dr Norbert Vollertsen. Coming back from Thailand after taking care for arrested North Korean refugees and South Korean activists there here in downtown Seoul I was attacked by a street gang and knocked down in the middle of … [Read More]
Brit mobilises the arts to save part of old Seoul
Thanks to David Kilburn for sending me the occasional update on his campaign to prevent Kahoi-dong, an area of traditional housing in Seoul, from being buried under mountains of concrete. He recently put on his own arts festival in his home, including two intangible cultural assets, and got the Korea Times to send along a … [Read More]
Yoko Ono at St Pauls
I was trying to find an excuse to plug an event put on by a charity I’m involved with. It’s an installation of two of Yoko Ono’s works, at St Paul’s Cathedral as part of the City of London Festival. The major piece is Morning Beams, installed in the north transept, modelled by the artist … [Read More]
Saemaeul Movement Goes International
I’m in the middle of reading Mark Clifford’s book Troubled Tiger, a history of the Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan era focusing on the connectedness between businessmen, generals and politicians. A brief review will be coming soon (here). While much of the growth-driven development was geared towards heavy industry and the export market, there was … [Read More]
Koreans masquerading as Japanese (and vice versa) – a visit to Yoshi Sushi in Hammersmith
There’s a presumption that when you go to an ethnic restaurant the staff are going to be from the country whose food is on offer. Of course, it’s not always the case. The first counter-example I came across in respect of London Korean restaurants is Young Bean Kwan, where I can often be found stuffing … [Read More]
Seoul’s redevelopment and the erosion of Gahoedong
At the London Korean Festival we’ve been treated to images of the revitalisation and greening of central Seoul, with displays of the Chonggyecheon reconstruction. However, there is an all-too-familiar flipside to modern construction projects: my attention has just been drawn to a website which catalogues the demolition of Seoul’s last few streets of traditional housing … [Read More]
Brief book review: Suki Kim — The Interpreter
A detective story centring on a young Korean girl in New York who earns a living interpreting for the court system. By chance she comes across information which leads her to question the circumstances of her parents’ death. The novel is an interesting glimpse into the Korean underclass in New York. I was so taken … [Read More]