LKL meets Won Il, who arrives in London this week to direct what we are expecting to be one of the highlights of the Korean cultural year. The work, Dionysus Robot, is inspired by Nietzsche’s philosophy of Dionysus and pays homage to the legendary media artist Nam June Paik. It brings together traditional Korean and … [Read More]
Category: Formats
Interview: Swag Age — Korean tradition in a contemporary musical comes to the West End
Guest contributor Timothy Holm meets the creatives behind the Joseon-era musical Swag Age, and gets to the bottom of the meaning of the catchy Oh-Eh-Oh! chorus. [Read More]
Yoon Ga-eun’s “The World of Love” in BFI London Film Festival official competition
The full programme of the 2025 London Film Festival will be unveiled on 3 September, but today the ten films selected to screen in the festival’s Official Competition were announced. Included in the list is Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love. Yoon has charmed us with her previous movies, which focus on the lives and … [Read More]
1884 letter rediscovered in Cambridge giving insight into Kapsin coup
Earlier this month the Cambridge University Library blog uploaded an article telling the story of a letter recently rediscovered among the papers of Sir Harry Parkes by Jiyeon Wood, who is in charge of the Korean and Japanese collection at the library. According to Professor Kim Jong-Hak from Seoul National University: “[Prominent politician and leader … [Read More]
Musical journeys with violinist Joo Yeon Sir: an LKL interview
Seven years ago, thanks to the London Korean Links events listings, I went to see a young Korean violinist play a lunchtime recital at St Martin in The Fields. The violinist, Joo Yeon Sir, played a beautiful set of classical music accompanied by her pianist Irina Andrievsky. All perfectly lovely. Then came the fireworks – the … [Read More]
Yun Ko-eun on the humour to be found in nightmarish scenarios
The moderator was late, misdirected by a faulty map app. The interpreter’s pen ran out of ink, as did a replacement pen supplied by a member of the audience. A warning message popped up on screen warning those present that the KCC’s laptop battery was getting low. The PA system didn’t seem to be working. … [Read More]
Son Heung-min wins Golden Boot Award
Congratulations to Son Heung-min for winning the Golden Boot award for the highest total goals scored in the English Premier League this season. He shares the award with Liverpool’s Mo Salah, as both players scored 23 goals. Some people (particularly Spurs fans) point out that Salah’s tally includes six penalties, making Son the more prolific … [Read More]
CL plays the Village Underground
Rapper CL pays her first visit to London at the Village Underground on 30 November. The venue has been upgraded from the nearby XOYO venue to accommodate the demand for tickets. 54 Holywell Lane | Shoreditch | London EC2A 3PQ | www.villageunderground.co.uk She’s sure to perform numbers from her debut album, ALPHA, which includes Spicy: [Read More]
Interview: Cho Jungrae (The Singer, 2020)
I watched Cho Jungrae’s 2020 movie The Singer earlier this year online, after being told by a friend of the director that it was available on Amazon Prime. It struck me as a fresh take on the pansori movie genre: instead of telling a pansori tale more or less straight like Im Kwon-taek’s Chunhyang, it … [Read More]
BLOO plays at the Garage Highbury Corner
Korean rapper BLOO comes to the Garage courtesy of Cult of Ya, supported by Howmini. BLOO: Moon and Back tour Friday 3 December 2021, 20:00-22:00 The Garage | 20-22 Highbury Corner | London N5 1RD | Tickets (Sold out) Links: Cult of Ya on Facebook [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]
Has there ever been a better time for Korean food in London?
The last few years have been an exciting time for Korean food in London, seeing a real expansion in the depth and choice of dining and shopping experiences available. Despite the lockdown, the opportunities to try traditional and experimental Korean flavours in London have never been better. Lockdown has encouraged the main food retailers such … [Read More]
The Drawing Hand: In Conversation With Illustrator Jieun Kim
The Christmas that just passed has been undoubtedly a quite different one. Many of us didn’t have a chance to spend the day with their loved ones and the joyful atmosphere that characterises one of the most loved and anticipated time of the year was dimmed by the still ongoing health emergency due to COVID-19. … [Read More]
Interview with Bora Chung in Korea Times
There’s a nice interview with writer Bora Chung in yesterday’s Korea Times. Coming later this year from Honford Star is her short story collection Cursed Bunny, translated by Anton Hur. According to the article, Many of her recent works can be defined as a gripping amalgamation of absurdist, unrealistic stories that draw on science fiction, … [Read More]
Layers of paint, paintings of feelings: the abstract works of Sunyoung Hwang
Brush stroke after brush stroke, an artist can create a wonderland for the heart to explore feelings, emotions and, perhaps, also memories. The depth of life, the human emotional world and the experiences we go through can’t often be easily conveyed to others or even explained to oneself. Some argue that art is healing to … [Read More]
Julie Park wins Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award
Belated congratulations to London based violist Julie Park for winning the prestigious Arts Club Sir Karl Jenkins Award in October. She follows violinists Songha Choi, who won second prize in 2019, and Joo Yeon Sir who won the prize in 2014. Julie Park performs tomorrow in Korean Cultural Centre UK’s ‘Home Theatre’ season of online … [Read More]