London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

A review of the Korean cultural year 2023

2023: a year when an environmental artist from Gwangju shared a hug with the King; four K-pop princesses went to Buckingham Palace and received honorary MBEs; and the tolling bell of Jirisan’s Daewonsa temple was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The year marked the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UK … [Read More]

Exhibition visit: Silent Mind, at Cromwell Place

Lloyd Choi has a regular stable of artists whose body of work you can enjoy at her gallery’s exhibitions: as the work becomes more familiar, it somehow becomes more desirable. But she does not stand still. She gradually introduces new artists into her roster – as she did with the minhwa-decorated ceramics of Lee Geum-young … [Read More]

In pictures: Hanji – Paper Compositions

The KCC’s summer exhibition was co-sponsored by the Hanji Development Institute, which is affiliated with the Hanji Theme Park in Wonju, Gangwon-do. Wonju was noted for its mulberry trees, and hence its hanji, in the Sillok from King Sejong’s reign and thus competes with other areas of Korea such as Mungyeong and Jeonju for the … [Read More]

Gallery visit: Jukhee Kwon in Expanding Horizons

October Gallery has represented Korean artist Jukhee Kwon for almost ten years now, and it was natural that when planning an exhibition in memory of their trustee Pamela Kember they should include work by the Korean artist as she exhibited in Asia House when Kember was director of Arts and Learning there. Somehow, during the … [Read More]

A review of the Korean cultural year 2021

Each year when I come to write this review, I wonder whether Korean culture in the West has reached its high water mark. And every year so far I’ve come to the same conclusion. Korean music and film, TV and food continue to win admirers, and we can expect to see it continue to thrive … [Read More]

In pictures: Yang Mi-young’s Royal Wedding Procession, at the KCC’s Royal Palaces exhibition

The KCCUK’s current Royal Palaces of Joseon exhibition contains three main elements: a large three-channel video work by Park Jong-woo focusing on the Jongmyo Shrine, installed in what was once the theatre area on the main floor; and some impressive still and video photographs of the main palaces by Seo Heun-kang. There’s a nice video … [Read More]