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]
Category: Opinion
The many ways in which you can support Bongsu Park’s Dream Auction project
OK friends, wherever you are, this is what I want you to do. Any or all of the following: Buy one or more tickets and come along to the Dream Ritual performance at the Coronet Theatre, 3-6 July. Bring a friend. I have so much faith that this is going to be a great experience … [Read More]
The film festivals approach – as does the annual battle for our diaries
Last year I had a little rant about the hectic and competing schedules of the two overlapping film festivals of interest to the Korean film audience. The London Korean Film Festival has had a long history of packing so many films into their programme that it’s impossible to go to everything you want to see. … [Read More]
LEAFF, LKFF and the battle for our diaries
The film festival season is upon us, and this requires some serious diary planning. Fortunately the BFI London Film Festival remains serenely distant from the ignominious tangle caused by the collision of LEAFF and LKFF. With four titles scheduled earlier in the month, including the movie that I’ve been most looking forward to all year … [Read More]
Korean culture gets more mainstream (and what it means for LKL)
A week or so ago Time Out, London’s leading event listings magazine, asked its readers to recommend their favourite Korean places in London and New Malden. I passed it on to the LKL Facebook Group without giving it much further thought, vaguely interested that the survey was in progress, interested also in the knowledgeable responses … [Read More]
The Confused Westerner’s Response to K-Pop
Have you read the Wikipedia article on K-pop? It’s really, really long. Seriously, I did not know most of that stuff. When you next have a sufficiently large mug of tea, I highly recommend giving it a read. Changing tack, did you see the article on Yahoo about K-pop? It’s shorter, and chimes with a … [Read More]
The dumbing down of the KTO?
Hmmm. Gone is the 기, 흥 and 정 of Lee Charm. Instead, are we to get an emphasis on K-pop at the expense of the more traditional things? Two quotes from an interview with Byun Choo-suk, the new KTO president, in the Korea Herald: “The royal guard changing ceremony at palaces in Seoul, traditional mask … [Read More]
LKFF 2013 – Choices, Choices
The schedule for this year’s London Korean Film Festival seems to be bigger than ever. So many varied themes to satisfy all cinematic tastes; several directors and actors brought to London for interviews and Q&A sessions with the audience; galas, animations, shorts, comedies and much more. With such a feast laid out in front of … [Read More]
Which is bigger: Gangnam Style or Dokdo?
There’s been an awful lot of Korean stuff going on this year. In the UK, All Eyes on Korea, Korea putting up a good showing in the Olympics, Im Kwon Taek in town, Lee Byung hun and BIGBANG coming soon, a huge art show at the Saatchi… and everywhere you turn there’s a certain rapper … [Read More]
An open letter to the KCCUK: Please can we have some live K-Pop in London?
Dear Korean Cultural Centre, As France prepares for its first ever K-POP concert with one of South Korea’s leading entertainment companies, the general feeling around the blogosphere is that this will truly be a historical moment. As many have said, “The Hallyu is finally here” but for me as a British supporter of Korean culture … [Read More]
Why Korea should be proud of Jihae Hwang, and why a sponsor should step forward for next year
Not many Koreans will have heard of Jihae Hwang. In fact, probably more Brits have heard of her. She has recently been on national TV here, with coverage in the best broadsheet newspapers. The English are known for their love of gardening. On sunny Spring Sundays and Bank Holidays, garden centres are crammed with people … [Read More]
Liberte, egalite, Super Junior..France rally for K-Pop concert extension
There seems to be a close cultural link between France and Korea, which I have always suspected is partly to do the fact that both countries take food very seriously indeed. The popularity of K-pop is a phenomenon very much in train in Asia, but up to now not so obvious in Europe. The upcoming … [Read More]
Little Angels and big frustrations
26 Sept 2010: Updated information about how to book for Saturday’s Little Angels performance: http://bit.ly/cc6n4w # 29 Sept 2010: Still waiting for my Little Angels tickets. I wonder if they will arrive? Has anyone got theirs? Mysterious impersonal booking system grrrr # 30 Sept 2010: The most annoying thing about the Little Angels ticketing system … [Read More]
Presenting Korean Culture 3: Communication is key
I have now, alas, given up asking the KCC to send me monthly details of their upcoming events. They have a monthly news-sheet available at their front desk, they know I like to be emailed a copy of it as soon as it is available in draft, but it never happens. They know my communication … [Read More]
Presenting Korean Culture 2: Why bother with the artist VIPs?
Having being forced to think about issues concerning the presentation of Korean culture in London for the recent seminar at I-MYU, here are some additional thoughts, with maybe some more to come. The current exhibition at the Cultural Centre provides a stimulating and thought-provoking panorama of environmental issues. Present at the opening reception were two … [Read More]
The presentation of Korean Contemporary Art in London – a punter’s perspective
Having fumbled my incoherent, jet-lagged way through a half prepared presentation at I-MYU a couple of days ago, here, Thucydidean style, is what I would have said if I had been better prepared. Since LKL went online three and a half years ago, we’ve tracked over 90 exhibitions of Korean art and artefacts, most of … [Read More]