An exclusive in yesterday’s Telegraph reports that Holy Trinity Brompton, among other evangelical churches, is warning against a group called Parachristo which is said to have links to ‘a controversial South Korean group known as Shincheonji (SCJ) – or the “New Heaven and New Earth” church (NHNE) – whose founder Man-Hee Lee is referred to … [Read More]
Category: Living abroad (page 4)
The folding plug makes it on to the high street
Seen in Maplins Canary Wharf branch yestserday: The electrical and gadget retailer is stocking the folding plug designed by Choi Min-kyu. Fantastic news that the product has made it onto the high street. We first noticed the idea back in 2009, and saw the next iteration in 2013. Looking at the elegant USB chargers I … [Read More]
Event news: an introduction to the UK Exceptional Talent visa
The KCC is hosting a talk aimed at a Korean-speaking audience on the UK’s Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa on 29 November. Full details on the KCC website. [Read More]
Event news: the 1st Global North Korea Freedom Week
News of next week’s Global North Korea Freedom Week, said to be the first, arrived in my inbox recently. Don’t ask me to interpret how the timetable below works. Perhaps a more accurate version can be found on the www.ifreenk.com website, but my mcaffee web filter won’t let me go there. 1st Global North Korea … [Read More]
Ambassador Hay talks to Korea Times
There’s a nice interview with Ambassador Hay in the Korea Times this week. In it, he gives us news about the UK participation in military exercises on the peninsula that had the North Koreans so riled (four Eurofighters will join in an aerial drill with Korean and US planes at Osan air base in Gyeonggi-do), … [Read More]
Event news: Korean Cultural Day(s) at New Malden Methodist Church
It was nice of someone to post this in the LKL Facebook group yesterday. Too late to provide much advance notice, but I’m posting it now for the archives. I hadn’t heard of the Association of Korean Communities in the UK before. This sort of event used to be sponsored by an organisation called the … [Read More]
Event news: Chuseok celebrations in Kingston
There will be some Chuseok festivities on Saturday 17 September in Kingston marketplace, 12-4pm, organised by Korean British Cultural Exchange and supported by Kingston Council. It is said to be the first Korean street/outdoor festival to be held in Kingston town centre, and is certainly to be welcomed as an alternative focus to celebrate Koreanness there now the summer festival in … [Read More]
Visiting Korean students protest Comfort Woman issue
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]
Award for Korean Information Centre Co-founder
Congratulations to Bona Shin of the Korean Information Centre in New Malden for winning the Mayor’s Community Award for outstanding service to the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. The award was presented on 31 March 2016. The Korean Information Centre opened on 2 February last year with the aim of building a healthier and happier Korean … [Read More]
Looking back at 2015: Domestic news
Our final look back at 2015: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea. In the news After 62 years of adultery being a criminal offence in the ROK, the constitutional court decided to decriminalise it by a vote of 7 to 2. Four out of ten married Korean males heaved a sigh of relief and shares … [Read More]
Supporters of Comfort Women to protest outside Korean Embassy
When the BBC reported the “deal” between Japan and South Korea on the Comfort Women issue last week, saying that ‘South Korea says it will consider the matter resolved “finally and irreversibly” if Japan fulfills its promises,’ LKL marvelled that no mention was made of what the victims themselves thought about the deal. They don’t … [Read More]
Brother Anthony awarded honorary MBE
Congratulations to Brother Anthony of Taizé for his honorary MBE, awarded by ambassador Charles Hay on 2 December at the ambassador’s residence in Seoul. The official citation reads as follows… Brother Seon Jae AN For services to the Royal Asiatic Society and to furthering the study of English Literature in Korea. …but equally we all … [Read More]
Koreans help create a garden for London’s Royal Free Hospital
“What a strange thing,” you may think, “to do a spot of volountary service when you are on holiday.” But that’s exactly what four Korean travellers did this weekend in response to Kim Minho’s Korean online request for volunteers to help with the hospital garden. Kim Moon-sun came to learn English in London ten years … [Read More]
Event report: the stories of our North Korean friends in New Malden
During last year’s New Malden Festival, the founders of the Korean Information Centre, Bona Shin and Glenna Debosco, hosted an evening looking at the experiences of North Korean refugees in New Malden. The event was a valuable opportunity for local residents and others to raise their awareness of this small community in their midst, and … [Read More]
Joo Yeon Sir in broadcast premier and Albert Hall debut
Last November, violinist Joo Yeon Sir won the Arts Club Karl Jenkins Classical Music Award, held in association with the radio station Classic FM. The award was launched in 2013 to identify the most exciting young performers in Britain. According to Classic FM, the “candidates were judged based upon their technique, individualism, musicality, interpretation, communication … [Read More]
Kim Soyoung presents part one of her Exile Trilogy at King’s London
Film maker and academic Kim Soyoung was in town last week for a screening of her documentary Heart of Snow, Heart of Blood (2014) in an evening hosted by Chris Berry. She apologised in advance that we were about to see the director’s cut – slightly longer than what will be the theatrical version, and … [Read More]