London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

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Selected publications

  • Booklist: Memoirs and biography (119 titles)
    • Black Girl from Pyongyang: paperback launch event

      Come along to Richmond Library on 16 January for the launch of the paperback release of Black Girl from Pyongyang by author Monica Macias and co-writer, Becky Branford. This remarkable memoir details the extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung. Join Monica and her … [Read More]

      Book Talk – Black Girl from Pyongyang

      Join author Monica Macias as she explores extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung in conversation with Jim Hoare. In 1979, aged only seven, Monica Macias was sent from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea by her father, the … [Read More]

      Black Girl from Pyongyang with Brixton Radical Readers

      Join Brixton Library’s Radical Readers to discuss Black Girl from Pyongyang, the extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the protection of President Kim Il Sung. In 1979, Monica Macias, aged only seven, was transplanted from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea. She was sent by … [Read More]

      Review: Hwang Sok-yong – The Prisoner

      How to review the autobiography of one of Korean’s leading novelists, who has won accclaim both sides of the border; who has spent five years in prison as well as being a person of interest to the authorities for much of his professional career? The memoir makes for fascinating reading as literary history: most of … [Read More]

      Review: Na Man’gap – the Diary of 1636

      Na Man’gap’s Diary of 1636, as George Kallander explains in his informative introduction, is the longest known private account of the second Manchu invasion of Korea. Na (1592 – 1642) was a senior scholar-official who was with the King and court inside Namhansanseong – he was in charge of military rations – throughout the siege … [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]

      A look back at the 2018 literary year

      A look back at the books and literary events of the year – and a summary of my reading diary. Literature in translation In translated fiction, my reading this year has not managed anywhere near to keep pace with the amount of translations being published. I know I said the same in respect of 2017 … [Read More]

      New and upcoming non-fiction titles for 2018

      Too many books, not enough time to read them, or space to store them. Encouragingly, in a skim of the upcoming publication lists I had no problems finding plenty of books on a wide range of interesting topics. No longer it seems is the reading public (or the publishers’ perception thereof) solely interested in that … [Read More]

      A look back at the books of 2015

      In place of our annual “LKL Awards” post, we look at some of the highlights of 2015 in the area of books, film and music. Apart from the field of literature in translation (and of course I’m talking Han Kang here), there are no clear winners or I haven’t covered enough ground to choose one. … [Read More]