London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

K-music 2025: Won Il’s Dionysus Robot

A contemporary ritual where tradition meets technology Renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Won Il, who inaugurated the very first K-Music Festival in 2013 with the National Orchestra of Korea, returns this year with a daring new work: Dionysus Robot. Inspired by Nietzsche’s philosophy of Dionysus and paying homage to media art pioneer Nam June Paik, Dionysus … [Read More]

Park Jiha joins K-music festival programme

The acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist returns with her latest album All Living Things: Park Jiha‘s fourth album is a radiant sonic meditation on the textures, rhythms, and quiet power of the living world. At the K-Music Festival, Park showcases her mastery of traditional Korean instruments: the piri (a double-reed bamboo oboe), saenghwang (a free-reed mouth … [Read More]

June New Talents: Kiyoka Hyun Duo

For the June performance of 2025 New Talents, we are delighted to introduce Kiyoka Hyun Duo, composed of Kiyoka Ohara (Flute) and Hyunjeong Hwang (Piano). Don’t miss this chance to enjoy Kiyoka Hyun Duo’s amazing musical adventure this June! Programme J.S. Bach Flute Sonata in E-flat major BWV821 I. Allegro moderato II. Siciliano III. Allegro G. … [Read More]

K-music 2025: Hilgeum with Alice Zawadzki

A tapestry of ancient tones and an untamed voice Hilgeum, a rising Korean trio redefining traditional string instruments, will make their London debut at the K-Music Festival, joining forces with the British award-winning singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Alice Zawadzki. Known for her expressive voice and genre-defying artistry, Zawadzki will blend seamlessly with Hilgeum’s rich, textured … [Read More]

From Liberation to Reunification: 80th Liberation Anniversary Concert

Join the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council for a special commemorative concert marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation. This meaningful evening will bring together voices from the South and North Korean communities, featuring professional musical performances, guest speakers, exhibitions, and a shared celebration of freedom and the hope for reunification. Programme Part 1 – Keynote … [Read More]

The US-Japan-ROK Triangle: Lessons from Pythagoras

The Camp David Accords lay the foundation for a long-overdue alignment of the United States, Japan, and South Korea as they each grapple with the implications of China’s rise, emerging threats to regional peace and security, and growing challenges to the liberal democratic order. Leadership Changes in Washington and Seoul call into question the stability … [Read More]

Endless Bonds: AI and Korean Heritage

The Korean Cultural Centre UK is pleased to present Endless Bonds: AI and Korean Heritage, an immersive media showcase running from 17 July – 22 August 2025. Organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea, this exhibition brings Korean cultural heritage to life through a series of cutting-edge digital experiences. Marking the 80th anniversary … [Read More]

Lingering Fragments season: Writing Poems at the End of the World

The final evening of Lingering Fragments brings together three contemporary works by young Korean artists and filmmakers who challenge the conventions of cinematic practice with striking, deeply personal films—all making their UK premiere. These works speak to one another in subtle and surprising ways, offering contrasting perspectives and tones while reflecting on themes of memory, … [Read More]

Lingering Fragments season: Women’s Oral Histories

This programme brings together two films that speak from vastly different moments in Korea’s feminist and queer history yet are bound by a shared insistence: to speak, to witness, and to survive. In Lesbian Censorship in School 1 (2005), director Lee Young offers a raw, first-person account of teenage queerness and institutional repression. Told through … [Read More]

Han Okhi and Kaidu Club: A Cinema of Outsiders

There are two prejudices in cinema as it exists: filmmaking is only a man’s job, and movies should be a box office success. We, as outsiders, will break these two stereotypes – Kaidu Club, Chosun Ilbo, March 30, 1974 In 1974, Han Okhi and a group of fellow students from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul … [Read More]

Summers: a play by Heejin Kim

Today, the Earth is quietly heating up. A boy sets out to fight the sun. A girl silently watches over him. Together, they witness a village consumed by fire. The boy becomes an environmentalist. The girl has no choice but to work at a factory to make a living. The boy becomes a “cool” environmentalist—trying … [Read More]

Artist Talk+Performance with Haedong Lee

This year’s theme for SASAPARI’s discussion series ‘K-Art Now’ is Performance Art and Installation Art. Please join 4482 SASAPARI for a captivating artist talk and live performance with Haedong Lee, a London-based interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of sound, space, and human presence. Lee creates immersive environments using experimental sound objects, electronic instruments, … [Read More]