London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

K-rime: Timeless, Bottomless Bad Movie screening

Join us for a very rare screening of Jang Sun-woo’s Bad Movie, also known as Timeless, Bottomless Bad Movie (1997), a transgressive piece of cinéma vérité that turns its lens onto the homeless and runaway teens of ’90s Seoul as they sniff glue, commit random acts of violence, and feel a profound sense of loss … [Read More]

Cobweb screens at BFI London Film Festival

‘Incredible scenes play out in my dreams,’ insists impassioned film director Kim Ki-yeol (manically played by Bong Joon-ho regular Song Kang-ho), resolute in his determination to remake the ending of his latest film. With his cast and crew persuaded to do a two-day re-shoot, delicious chaos ensues as strict censorship regulations, the personal affairs of … [Read More]

Ransomed – UK theatrical release

Ransomed is a movie set in Beirut 1986, during the Lebanese civil war. A Korean diplomat is taken hostage without a trace. Two years later, a young diplomat, Min-jun, receives a phone call proving that the hostage is still alive. The movie follows the story of a South Korean diplomat who receives a coded message … [Read More]

Korean Film Night: Next Door (옆집사람)

After a blackout, Chan-woo wakes up beside a dead body in his next-door neighbour’s room. Having no clue of what’s happened, he is forced to make a quick escape, hiding from the spying eyes of his neighbours. In a tour-de-force performance, Oh Dong-min (Chan-woo) plays a young man (and impromptu rapper) who is studying for … [Read More]

The Roundup: No Way Out: UK theatrical release

The monster cop Ma Seok-do returns— This time, to the Metro Investigations! Seven years after the roundup in Vietnam, Ma Seok-do (Don LEE) joins a new squad to investigate a murder case. Soon, he finds out this case involves busting a synthetic drug and starts to dig deeper… Meanwhile, the guy behind it all—Joo Sung-chul … [Read More]

KCCUK documentary season: Labour(s) of Love

Following on from 2022’s theme Living Memories, which focused on preserving memories and the truth through documentary, we continue to investigate the documentary form with our new season Labour(s) of Love, curated by MA film students from Birkbeck, University of London. By examining the lives of workers whose labour shapes the fabric of the world … [Read More]

Return to Seoul preview + director screentalk

In this emotionally charged and vibrant film from Davy Chou, a young French woman returns to Korea for the first time since her adoption. A surprising and deliciously sleek movie, Return To Seoul follows Freddie (Park Ji-min), who, on-a-whim, travels to Korea, where she’s persuaded into seeking out her biological family. This is only the … [Read More]

Queer East Festival: A Korea Focus

Here is a listing of the eight Korean feature films, six shorts and one VR experience that are included in this year’s Queer East film festival. You can find the full press release here. Film descriptions are courtesy of the Queer East website. Time Movie Location Book Thu 20 Apr 9:00pm Peafowl (공작새) Dir: Byun … [Read More]

Queer East 2023 announces a Focus Korea strand

Hot on the heels of the BFI Flare festival, Queer East this year also has a Korean focus, with eight feature films, six shorts and one VR cinematic experience. The selection includes one UK feature premier, plenty of recent films plus some opportunities to revisit the back catalogue. In a separate post we’ve listed out … [Read More]

Korean movies at BFI Flare

BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQIA+ film festival, this year has four Korean feature films plus one short. There is also a first-come, first-served discussion with some of the Korean film makers. Ticket links – and links to full details with movie synopsis on the BFI website – are below. Discussion: Spotlight on South Korea Saturday 18 … [Read More]

Korean Film Nights: Seoul on Screen

The Spring 2023 season of screenings at the KCC is a collaboration with the Korean Film Archive that brings a series of films, from the 1950s to this century, that feature South Korea’s capital as a setting. The full programme note setting the context for the season as a whole can be found on the … [Read More]

Broker: UK theatrical release

On a rainy night in Busan, So-young (Lee ‘IU’ Ji-eun) leaves her baby Woo-sung outside a ‘baby box’, a safe place set up in Korean churches for new mothers to leave unwanted infants. Instead, he’s picked up by Sang-hyun (Parasite’s Song Kang-ho) who runs an unofficial adoption brokerage and plans to find him a new … [Read More]