Join Waterstones Islington with Jiyoung Han to celebrate the publication of Honey in the Wound, a spellbinding intergenerational epic that spans ninety years of Asian history with visceral power and breathtaking magical realism to explore how colonialism forces one family to transform, and ultimately survive. A sister disappears and returns as a tiger. A mother’s … [Read More]
Category: Fiction
And the River Drags Her Down: In Conversation with Jihyun Yun & Melinda Salisbury
The Korean Cultural Centre UK presents an evening with Jihyun Yun, exploring her debut novel And the River Drags Her Down. Jihyun Yun is a Korean American writer and the author of the poetry collection Some Are Always Hungry. Her debut novel has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Blending Gothic horror, mystery, … [Read More]
What do you think about Korean literature in translation?
Long story, but I find that I have managed to get myself committed to giving a talk on how Korean literature in translation is received by English-speaking readers. It’s a bit of a tall order. And while I can of course articulate the ways in which I personally am drawn to Korean literature, why I … [Read More]
Minbak book launch with Ela Lee
The Korean Cultural Centre UK presents an evening celebrating the publication of Minbak by Ela Lee. Ela Lee was born in 1995 and is a British-Korean-Turkish writer. She studied Law at the University of Oxford and went on to practise as a City lawyer. In 2021, she began work on her debut novel, Jaded, which … [Read More]
Platforms, AI, and Creative Work: Evidence from the Korean Webtoon Industry
Professor Changkeun Lee from KDI School of Public Policy and Management is visiting UCL to continue their conversation on the impact of AI on various Korean industries. This time, the focus is on the Webtoon industry. His presentation introduces the Korean webtoon industry as a platform-based digital comics market and examines how platform power and … [Read More]
London Hallyu Festival: the Symposium’s culture panel takes a look at UK Hallyu trends
Seeing that I invested a bit of time in pulling together some discussion material for the culture panel at the Korea Symposium on 29 September I thought I’d share some of the slides together with the gist of what I was trying to say. I was trying to trace, as objectively as possible, what one … [Read More]
Capitalists Must Starve Launch Party with Park Seolyeon and Anton Hur
Join Tilted Axis Press for the London launch of Capitalists Must Starve, a radical feminist novel by award-winning Korean author Park Seolyeon, translated into English by Anton Hur. Set in 1930s Pyongyang, Capitalists Must Starve follows a young factory worker who leads a historic strike, bringing to life the fierce spirit of women and workers … [Read More]
Anton Hur: Prizing Korean Literature
Join Wasafiri and Anton Hur to explore the future of Korean literature on a global stage and discuss literary prize cultures and translation. Following his essay for the Wasafiri website, ‘We Have Arrived: Anton Hur on Han Kang’s Nobel Win’ – where he brought his trademark wit to reflect on the ‘earthquake’ moment of Han … [Read More]
K-Book Festival: Cheon Seon Ran in Conversation
Join prize-winning author Cheon Seon-Ran for an afternoon of conversation at Foyles about her heartfelt and beautifully told novel, A Thousand Blues. From its perch on top of a pile of junk inside a shed, Coli, a robot with powerful observational qualities, waits patiently for someone to find it. Coli is special among humanoids. This is … [Read More]
K-Book Festival: Min Song-a in Conversation
Webtoon sensation Min Song-a comes to Foyles to talk about her unique and compelling style of storytelling. Since her debut in 2013, Min Song-a has established herself as a distinctive voice in the world of webtoons, admired for her unique character portrayals and stylish storytelling. Her notable works include Nano List, The Girl Next Door, … [Read More]
An evening with Yun Ko-eun at Waterstones
Spend an evening with Yun Ko-eun celebrating the release of her novel Art on Fire. Yun Ko-eun was born in Seoul in 1980. In 2004, the year she graduated from university, her short story ‘Piercing’ won the Daesan Literary Award for College Students. In 2008, she received the Hankyorek Literature Award for her novel The … [Read More]
Bora Chung: The Midnight Timetable
Hear from the author of Cursed Bunny on her new novel, The Midnight Timetable, a masterful work of literary horror from one of our time’s greatest imaginations. Bora Chung, author of the National Book Award finalist and International Booker Prize shortlisted Cursed Bunny, discusses her novel The Midnight Timetable, equal parts bone-chilling, wryly funny and … [Read More]
Hwang Sok-yong: The Voice of a Divided Nation
With a five-decade-long writing career and Korea’s most prestigious literary prizes under his belt, Hwang Sok-yong is unmatched in depicting the social and political realities of his ruptured homeland. A staunch promoter of the arts, he spent years in exile and prison. It’s a rare honour to welcome him to the Festival, discussing his remarkable life and … [Read More]
Brick Lane Bookshop hosts debut double bill featuring Heuijung Hur
Brick Lane Bookshop is thrilled to welcome Heuijung Hur and Rowe Irvin to the store for a special double bill event. Hur will read from their debut collection of genre-defying short stories, Failed Summer Vacation; dreamy, dark, and surreal tales that bend reality and linger in the mind. Irvin presents Life Cycle of a Moth, … [Read More]
Dislocation & Diaspora – East Asian Poets in Conversation
Join Wasafiri for a poetry reading and panel discussion on dislocation and diaspora with Theophilus Kwek – who will read from his latest collection, Commonwealth (Carcanet, May 2025) – and Suji Kwock Kim, author of Notes from the Divided Country. The evening will be chaired by Wasafiri Associate Editor and poet Jennifer Wong. The three … [Read More]
Jieun Kiaer: Seoul Mothers and the Poetry of Rice
Join Professor Jieun Kiaer for a special evening of storytelling, poetry, and food — an exploration of Korean motherhood, memory, and everyday love. Jieun will talk about her newly released novel Seoul Mothers — a powerful and poignant story of three women navigating parenting, ambition, and identity in contemporary Seoul. She will also share selected … [Read More]