Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience is a music experiment like no other. A collaboration between Moon&Back Media, SM Entertainment, and SM & Kakao Entertainment America, the six-part series will follow Blaise, Dexter, James, Oliver and Reese as they are put through the K-pop training process with the goal of launching Dear Alice, a new … [Read More]
Category: TV shows
Foyle’s Korean Culture Month: Recipe for Farewell screening
The captivating true story from writer Kang Chang-rae’s essay-based Korean series, Recipe for Farewell is a heartwarming drama, portraying a man who writes a cooking diary for his ill wife. It premiered at the Busan International Film Festival (2022) and was screened at the Fribourg International Film Festival (2023). For one day only, it will … [Read More]
Beyond the Subtitle: what even the best translators can’t tell you
Some of the debates about Squid Game turned the spotlight on the role of the subtitler: Are they skilled enough? Are they paid enough? Are there enough of them? We think that even the best, most highly-paid translator can’t tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on in your favourite K-film or … [Read More]
LKL’s list of ten Squid Game superlatives
Well, I guess everyone who’s going to watch it has watched it already, but nevertheless I’ve tried to avoid any major spoilers in the below. Here’s the list of things that struck me most about the hit series. Most enjoyable reveal Runner up was the identity of the multi-gazillionaire who set up the game, But the … [Read More]
Hallyu Con 2021
Hallyu Con returns to London for its second edition. There are opportunities for you to participate and share your passion in several ways. Follow the links below to find out more. Hallyu Con will be streamed from 2pm UK time on 4 September 2021 Watch on the KCCUK’s YouTube Channel or the dedicated Hallyu Con … [Read More]
Why Crash Landing on You had us hooked
What a preposterous scenario for a drama. A chaebol heiress goes paragliding, gets swept away by a freak tornado and lands north of the DMZ, where she is discovered by a North Korean soldier and ends up getting emotionally entangled. I loved it. Of course, the scenario is a lot more complicated than that. How … [Read More]
Sky Castle: would you believe, the first K-drama I’ve ever watched. And what fun it is!
People might find it strange that, despite the fact that I’ve been following Korean culture for 20 years now, I’ve never watched a complete TV Drama series. There have been several reasons for this, but basically it boils down to lack of time, and the prohibitive cost of the DVD boxed sets. I made the … [Read More]
8 Netflix K-Dramas for people who don’t like zombies
With the extra time spent at home, the lockdown is the perfect time for many of us to catch up on television dramas. Besides being a great way to pass the time without leaving the home, dramas can provide us all with a little escapism, giving a much-needed break from the often overwhelming news cycle. … [Read More]
BTS perform on Britain’s Got Talent
Last time they were in town for a gig it their chosen UK TV appearance was the BBC’s Graham Norton Show. A small TV studio was not the best place to showcase their talents, but they made the best of circumstances and turned in a good performance despite injuries. This time round the stage was … [Read More]
K-Drama + Korean television symposium @UCLAN
Hosted by the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK Wednesday 5th June 2019 (check-in and drama-screening Tuesday 4th June from 5 pm) Registration required on Eventbrite More details on UCLAN website. The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston, UK, is delighted to host a the K-Drama and Korean TV Symposium, which is devoted to scholarship on … [Read More]
Why I’m beginning to warm to Netflix
After a rocky start with Netflix, I’m now coming round to it. I started subscribing to the online service in order to watch Okja, the Netflix-only feature film by director Bong Joon-ho. Although that particular experience was a big disappointment, I continued the subscription in case I was tempted by any of the other movies … [Read More]
Kim Chi spices up BBC make-up reality TV show
One of the more fun programmes on UK terrestrial TV right now is the reality show Glow Up, in which would-be professional make-up artists compete against each other. Every week a different guest celebrity make-up artist joins the show to critique the work of the contestants. This week, Episode 5, the show was graced by … [Read More]
BTS’s busy couple of weeks
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Korea’s biggest band: A speech for UNICEF at the United Nations on 24 September. The speech, by the band’s leader Kim Namjun (aka RM), ended as follows: Like most people, I’ve made many and plenty mistakes in my life. I have many faults and I have many … [Read More]
Michael Palin in North Korea on Channel 5
Actor, TV personality and travel writer Michael Palin will be presenting a two-part documentary from the week or so he spent in North Korea earlier this year. He happened to be in the country during the meeting between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un. The first episode screens on Thursday 20 September at 9pm on … [Read More]
Luther, Mistresses, Life on Mars get Korean remakes
A small number of BBC TV shows have a keen following in Korea, as can be seen from a Sherlock-themed cafe in Gangnam to the popularity of the Doctor Who world tour in 2014. And it may also be remembered that Luther won Best Mini-Series at Seoul International Drama Awards in 2011. Now Luther is to … [Read More]
South Korea: Earth’s Hidden Wilderness – BBC2 documentary
To complement their coverage of the winter Olympics, the BBC is screening what looks like an interesting documentary covering things you might not often see in coverage of the peninsula. With plenty of Korean experts advising and behind the camera, this should be well worth a watch. South Korea – Earth’s Hidden Wilderness BBC2, 8:00pm … [Read More]