London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

How not to sanitize your cash

There’s a lovely item in today’s Korea JoongAng Daily about a report by the Bank of Korea (including the above image) on how people have been attempting to disinfect their banknotes to protect themselves from Covid-19. Putting them in the washing machine and then the tumble dryer, or microwaving them, is not recommended. “The central … [Read More]

The LKL quiz of the year 2017

I’m currently going through my 2017 press cuttings and trying to make sense of them, in the hope that as in (some) previous years I’ll be able to pull together a series of posts summarising some of the most newsworthy stories of the year. In case I don’t manage to get that done (after all, … [Read More]

That Robert Kelly BBC interview…

Gathered together in one place for your entertainment… The original live BBC interview with Robert Kelly in March 2017: A follow-up interview with the whole family: Ellen DeGeneres analyses the footage: And the best spoof I’ve come across: The Guardian has an interview with Robert Kelly here. [Read More]

Looking back at 2015: Domestic news

Our final look back at 2015: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea. In the news After 62 years of adultery being a criminal offence in the ROK, the constitutional court decided to decriminalise it by a vote of 7 to 2.  Four out of ten married Korean males heaved a sigh of relief  and shares … [Read More]

Korean girls on One Direction

Last week one of the interviewees in Yoon Sungwon‘s video says Zayn Malik is “too buttery” and that he “reminds me of a camel.” A couple of days later it’s announced that he’s leaving One Direction. “I can’t do this anymore,” he told a tabloid newspaper. The same girl says that Harry Styles’s nostrils are … [Read More]

Now, what’s that book by Salman Rushdie called?

North Korea’s rant about Channel 4’s planned TV series has now been translated into English on the KCNA Japanese website. Like most of their rants, it’s entertaining in small doses. I’ve often wondered why they invest in a translator that is only semi-competent. Here’s a select quote from the press release: The British authorities should … [Read More]

Dance videos, tasteless films and hair promotions – different ways to annoy the DPRK authorities

It’s not just the Americans and the Brits who annoy the North Korean establishment with their irreverant lèse-majesté. Now the Chinese are doing it too. So far the video has been left online: And a reminder of the two other things that recently got the DPRK establishment annoyed: an upcoming American comedy film, and a … [Read More]