London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

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]

Gangnam Style remembered on Strictly

Thanks to would-be Labour finance minister Ed Balls for brightening up our dull Autumn on the BBC’s celebrity talent show Strictly Come Dancing. Consistently at the bottom of the scoreboard, he is saved by the popular vote. In the most recent episode he had the guts to do a Gangnam Style inspired Salsa, choreographed (with … [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]

Alcohol advert ban for young celebrities?

The BBC picked up on a story in the Chosun Ilbo that celebs under 25 could be banned from leading teenagers astray by advertising booze. A bill proposing the clamp-down was passed by the National Assembly’s committee on health and welfare on 23 April. Reportedly prompted by Kim Yu-na’s Hite advertisements in 2012 (when she … [Read More]

Looking back at 2014: Domestic news

Our final look back at 2014: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea: The Sewol and safety culture The MV Sewol capsized on 16 April, causing the death of 304 passengers. A number of factors contributed to the disaster, including lax safety inspections, unsafe modifications, unsecured cargo, overloading, and an inexperienced crew hired on temporary … [Read More]

Burberry – the favoured brand of Korean flashers

In the last decade, British fashion brand Burberry manage to rescue itself from the chav associations caused by too liberal licensing of its check design to companies it couldn’t control. But you can’t control the use to which a raincoat is put. And according to the Hankyoreh: Burberry coats have long been sought after in … [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]

Eating yeot, or not

Ask A Korean has a great post on the reason why a disgruntled fan might want to lob a few toffees at the returning Korean football team. He has a few explanations why “Eat Yeot” is considered an insult. The article promted an LKL reader to add a different story about eating yeot as a … [Read More]

It’s The Sun that broke the news

Possibly the oddest outcome of the extremely odd encounter between Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-un is that it is through an interview that the American basketball player gave to Britain’s favourite tabloid The Sun that the news is broken to the world that Kim Jong Un has a baby daughter. Source: NK News [Read More]

What can be had at McD’s in Korea

First, the Potato Party story, which was first broken by Rocket News, in which a crowd of kids bought $250 worth of fries at McDonalds and set about them with gusto. “Stop causing trouble, you brats! Get out of here!” an attendant is reported to have said. The story even made it into the Guardian. … [Read More]

Looking back at 2012: Domestic news

In our final round-up of Korea-related stories which caught our eye in 2012, we look at domestic and business news. Modern Life and how to escape it. Korea came 24th out of 34 leading countries in an OECD quality of life index, coming bottom of the class in job security and gender income inequality and … [Read More]