Even as lockdown is gradually relaxed in the UK, we need to be reminded to be on our guard, that Covid-19 is still a threat. The nice folks at Koryo Studio – an affiliate of the travel company that brought us Dan Gordon’s series of feature-length documentaries on North Korea – have commissioned a work […]
Category: Life & Leisure
Korean food under lockdown
As the UK Covid-19 lockdown was announced back in March, what was one of the many concerns for me? The fact that I wouldn’t be able to go to a Korean restaurant for a samgyeopsal feast for the foreseeable future, obviously. So I began to plan for second best. While, somehow, samgyeopsal always tastes best […]
The mysteries of the Abies Koreana
Around 17 years ago, on a trip to Ashwood Nurseries in the West Midlands with the in-laws, I sneaked an unauthorised plant onto the trolley, much as a child might sneak a bag of sweets into the shopping cart on a trip to the supermarket. On my stroll around the nursery grounds, I had seen […]
RASKB Online Lecture: Practicing Korean Traditional Archery
In 1899, the visiting Prince Heinrich of Prussia expressed his astonishment to Emperor Gojong at a traditional archery demonstration. The Prince, hailing from a militarized Prussian culture, sought out demonstrations of Korean martial arts, and Archery was the most impressive among the arts demonstrated. He was familiar with Turkish and Hungarian Archery of Europe, which […]
Celebrate the lunar new year at Whitehall Historic House
Are you looking forward to celebrating the start of the Year of the Rat? Try out some family-friendly traditional Korean New Year activities at Whitehall Historic House in Cheam, courtesy of Sutton Cultural Services. And when you get home from there, why not try cooking tteokguk? Maangchi’s recipe is dead easy and tastes great. I […]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2019
A review of some of the highlights and trends in the Korean cultural year, primarily in London but also with half an eye to anything we might have seen elsewhere in the UK. The review is a personal one, inevitably skewed towards the events we managed to get to. Introduction This time last year I […]
Son Heung-min’s astounding goal against Burnley
It’s already been called the goal of the season. Son Heung-min’s goal against Burnley which contributed to Spurs’s 5-0 home win on 7 December was magical – a solo effort that starts just outside his own box and ends, after a run the length of the pitch, with a shot inside the Burnley penalty area. […]
The World’s First ‘Active’ Greenhouse
The greenhouse is an ancient invention, dating back 2,200 years. Modern ‘active’ greenhouses are distinguished from older ‘passive’ ones by the fact that they allow for the adjustment of air and soil temperature. Previously, the first such greenhouses were believed to have been built in Germany in 1619, using a stove to regulate air temperature, […]
Making and Sharing Kimchi Project: the 2019 Kimjang Festival
The culmination of many months’ preparation is here. Kimjang: Making and Sharing Kimchi is a project made possible by money raised by National Lottery players. It involves recording, archiving and distributing 20 authentic kimchi recipes and personal Kimjang experiences from North, South and Chinese-Korean residents, and hosting an annual Kimjang Festival on New Malden High […]
Nature Republic comes to London
We’ve had temporary pop-up beauty stores before, and since earlier this year the independent SOKOLLAB has been in Soho selling K-beauty and K-pop products. But now the big Korean beauty brand Nature Republic is opening up in London as part of an international expansion plan across Asia, America and the Middle East. The store, at […]
Korean cookery event at Westminster Kingsway college
This one is likely to be popular. Book early to avoid disappointment. Korean K-Cuisine Event Saturday 19 October 2019, 10am – 1pm Westminster Kingsway College | Victoria Centre | Vincent Square | London SW1P 2PD Tickets £50 | Book tickets Are you aged 16+ and interested in all things Korean? With K-Pop speading across the […]
Exhibition visit: Circulation Metaphor, at the KCC
There’s a little bit of Jeollanamdo in the KCC at the moment. Although the exhibition is co-organised by the Asia Cultural Center in Gwangju, and by the Gwangju Museum of Art, the subject matter of the exhibition strays outside of the city limits into Damyang, Hwasun and further afield. The first work to engage you […]
Ko Jin-young wins the 2019 Evian Championship
Going into the final day, all of the top four players on the leaderboard of the LGPA Evian-les-Bains golf tournament were Korean. Kim Hyo-joo led, followed one shot behind by Park Sung-hyun. A further three shots behind were Park Inbee and Ko Jin-young. On the final day, today, things started to go wrong for Kim […]
LG launches homebrew machine with Suffolk malt
Earlier this week the British Embassy in Seoul participated in the official launch in Korea of LG’s new home brewing appliance that takes the mess and faff out of making your own beer. A sleek, self contained unit takes two weeks to brew the beer, making around 5 litres, and sanitises itself afterwards to get […]
Makgeolli-making class at the KCC
This class is bound to be popular. Book early to avoid disappointment. Traditional Korean Winemaking Class Monday 29 July 2019, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm @ KCCUK Reserve your place here Tae-Yeol Kim is a traditional liquor ambassador, appointed by the Korean Traditional Alcohol Association as well as being the recipient of several international awards […]
Radio Kimchi K-Pop Fair
Last November’s inaugural K-Pop Fair was a success, so it’s returning this August, bigger and better. Radio Kimchi K-Pop Fair O2 Academy Islington | Angel Central | 16 Parkfield Street | London N1 0PS Saturday 24 August 2019 Two sessions: 12pm-2pm and 3pm-5pm Tickets £6 | Buy tickets 1on1 Events and Radio Kimchi UK present […]
Fun and informative: the Purple A x SOKOLLAB K-Beauty x K-pop workshop
Raymond Sweetman, Founder of Purple A, reports from last weekend’s K-Beauty x K-pop workshop It’s always a worry for event organizers that people might not turn up. A second worry is wondering if people will actually like what you are offering. Very happy to report that last Saturday’s workshop held at The Place (home of […]