An alternative, historical, tourist destination in Jeju – the April 3rd Massacre Tree. Great article in Jeju Weekly highlighting the incident whose wounds are still felt today. http://bit.ly/4Lwr07. # [Read More]
Category: History (page 21)
Book Review: From Wonso Pond
It’s the 1930s. In colonial Korea, economic development brings factories and work to Incheon, Seoul and other centres of population, while in the countryside the semi-feudal lifestyle continues. The local yangban plots which local lass to deflower next, and keeps the local rent-farmers as much in debt to him as he can. We are introduced … [Read More]
A belated look back at 2009
For the past 3 years LKL has concocted a quiz of the year as a way of gathering together some of the news stories which have most caught our eye. This year, as I came to draw up the list in mid December I found it hard to think of anything amusing or diverting: most … [Read More]
Kang Sok-kyong: The Valley Nearby
Kang Sok-kyong: The Valley Nearby Tr Choi Kyong-do Heinemann Asian Writers Series, 1997. Originally published as 가까운 골짜기, 1989 Living in the country, Yun-hee is engaged in a solitary struggle. Her two worlds, that of a rural housewife and that of an advocate for equality, are at odds with each other. As her artistic, alcoholic … [Read More]
Before Babylon There Was…Pyongyang
Two thirds of the world’s dolmens are contained in the Korean peninsula. The Gochang, Hwaun, and Ganghwa dolmen sites can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This probably begs the question, from me at least – what are dolmens exactly? They are stone monuments, generally consisting of two supporting stones and a cover stone … [Read More]
Nineteen Years in South Korea’s Gulag
Suh Sung: Unbroken Spirits – Nineteen Years in South Korea’s Gulag Rowman & Littlefield, 2001 Original Japanese version, (Gokuchû 19 Nen, Nineteen Years in Prison) 1994 We are all familiar with stories reporting the horrors of torture and starvation in North Korean prison camps. What we can forget is that over the past decades South … [Read More]
Ch’udo yebae: Christian Accommodation to Korean Ancestral Rites
Details of November’s Global Korea Lecture at the Cultural Centre: Tuesday 24th November 2009, 6.30pm Subject: Ch’udo yebae: Christian Accommodation to Korean Ancestral Rites Speaker: Professor James H. Grayson (School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield) Venue: Multi-purpose Hall, Korean Cultural Centre According to the 2005 Korean Household and Population Census, Christians now represent … [Read More]
Innovative Korea – from past to present
The Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project present an evening introducing Korea’s long-standing innovation: Date: 18th November 2009 Time: 6.15 for 6.30 pm Location: Korean Cultural Centre UK Grand Buildings, Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5BW Programme A short talk will precede three documentary films, covering three representative pieces of Korean culture, and a detailed overview … [Read More]
MacGyver and the Imjin War
I was puzzled when I learned that Koreans regard the time bomb as a proud addition to their list of inventions. This is because I associate the time bomb with incidents involving James Bond and MacGyver, in which the emphasis is on defusing the bomb and foiling the plans of an evil terrorist. Although it has … [Read More]
The Turtle Ship
There is a story that when the nascent Korean shipping industry was attempting to raise capital, Barclays asked what the Koreans could provide in the way of security for the loan. The Korean executive is said to have taken a 500 won bill from his pocket, which featured the turtle ship of Yi Sun-sin, and … [Read More]
Margaret Drabble: the search for the Crown Princess
A couple of years ago at the BAKS conference Margaret Drabble gave a fascinating talk about how she came to be captivated by the story of Lady Hyegyong, wife of Prince Sado. Sado was son of a king and father of a king, but never made it to the throne himself. Lady Hyegyong wrote her … [Read More]
Jongmyo skyscraper may irk UNESCO
Seoul’s skyscraper may irk UNESCO, according to the Korea Times. A new 36-storey building could mean Jongmyo Shrine loses world heritage status: http://bit.ly/oiEuJ # [Read More]
Golden Earrings of Silla
Along with the famous Golden Crown of Hwangnam, the tombs of Silla contained many other, less immediately eye-catching objects of beauty. An example is the golden earrings, one of the literally thousands of accessories such as necklaces, rings, belts and shoes that were buried with the dead kings and queens in Kyongju, capital of the … [Read More]
The Western Korean War PoWs who chose to stay in China
A fascinating documentary about twenty-four American and one British Korean War prisoners of war who chose to remain in China after the war: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 #. Part 1 is below [Read More]
The British fighter pilot buried near Pyongyang
Michael Rank in the Asia Times on the British fighter pilot buried near Pyongyang. Well worth a read. http://bit.ly/1Os32 # There can be no lonelier grave anywhere on Earth. Amid fields close to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, lie the remains of Flight Lieutenant Desmond Hinton, a British fighter pilot who flew for the United … [Read More]
Korean heritage at UNESCO
Korea is rightly proud of some of its heritage, much of which has been given official recognition by UNESCO. For those of you who like lists, here are the various items of Korea’s tangible and intangible heritage which have been so listed. Also included below are links to any LKL articles on these treasures. (1) … [Read More]