I haven’t been posting much on LKL recently. That’s not because nothing’s been going on. On the contrary, there’s been plenty of exhibitions to review, online film festivals to attend, and some real-world foodie events to enjoy. In fact, I have a longer than ever writing backlog, which I shall do my best to backfill. So … [Read More]
Category: About
LKL during lockdown
Everyone is having to get used to a new routine as we hunker down at home until the authorities tell us it’s safe to come out. The enforced time at home is a mixed blessing, with probably more pros than cons. On the plus side, I don’t have my daily commute. But on the minus … [Read More]
Music as a Gateway to Other Cultures: Learning about a Different Culture through music
By Hyun Ji Oh I have always been interested in learning about different parts of the world. Many people believe that learning a wide range of languages is one of the best ways to open one’s mind and explore new cultures. However, music also represents a great way to explore many vibrant and fascinating cultures. … [Read More]
The 2019 LKL Korea trip – an introduction
Over the years, the reasons for my annual trips to Korea have changed. Originally I managed to tack a visit onto the back end of a business trip to Hong Kong and so the timing of my trips were determined by my job (which, as it happens, has nothing to do with Korea). But at … [Read More]
Welcome to LKL v6
Earlier this year, my brain decided that sometime during 2019 it would rebuild the LKL website from the ground up. The rest of me didn’t have a choice in the matter. The decision was made. Then the brain took over completely and started work. I could not control it. Most of the day, and often … [Read More]
An adoptee returns to her home town
Bella Frey, who recently reviewed The Return – the closing film of LKFF 2018 – tells us about her own personal return earlier this year. A tale of the unexpected… My head is still swimming from my recent trip to Korea. It was in part planned to be a personal pilgrimage to re-visit places from … [Read More]
The BTS Love Yourself o2 concert – a fresh perspective
LKL’s young contributor Gargi Sengupta, who reported from the Sheffield Korea Day earlier this year, provides her second report – from the biggest KPOP event in London ever! On the 10th of October I went with my father to watch the BTS concert at the London o2. Since I have been a HUGE fan of … [Read More]
Affective becomings and musical transformations: BTS take London
Dr Colette Balmain, or maybe a ghost writer, reports from the biggest KPOP event in the UK this year: Taking the Plunge This is the first concert review that I have written although I have been to many concerts, some of which I have good memories of and others which I wish I could press … [Read More]
Some GDPR admin
Sorry to add to all the noise relating to the implementation of the new data privacy rules which come into force on 25 May. Like countless other organisations we’ve waded through the 88 closely-packed pages of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of … [Read More]
LKL at 12 years old
Yesterday was LKL’s 12th birthday: we went online on 1 March 2006. I never thought I’d keep going for the full 12 year cycle of the zodiac and more. Thanks to you readers, and to those who help out by feeding me information and views. And of course thanks to those who have written articles … [Read More]
Hopefully the last techie post for a while
LKL’s look and feel hasn’t changed much since the summer of 2009, when we moved onto the current theme template, but believe me: during the second half of this year I spent a lot of time behind the scenes on the site, working on significant changes which aren’t immediately obvious. The changes have nothing to … [Read More]
The boring stuff I’ve been working on during August
It’s August. The office isn’t as busy as usual. My brain isn’t being used as much as it normally is, and it needs to find an outlet. So it’s the month when, if there are things that need doing to the design or coding of the website, I turn my mind to it. The last … [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]
2017 travel diary – reminiscences
Index Sat 29 April: Busan – Min Young-ki’s solo show Sun 30 April: Haman-gun – Gaya kingdom royal tombs Mon 1 May: Sancheong-gun – Hwangmaesan Royal Azalea festival Tue 2 May: Mungyeong-si – Tea bowl festival Wed 3 May: Buddha’s Birthday in Bongamsa | The Gyeongbokgung at night Thu 4 May: Jeonju Fri 5 May: … [Read More]
Beth McKillop reports from the 2016 Culture Communication Forum in Seoul
Senior Research Fellow and former Deputy Director at the Victoria and Albert Museum Beth McKillop was the UK’s representative at Korea’s annual Culture Communication Forum hosted by the Corea Image Communication Institute. Since 1990 when I first visited Korea to collect ceramics, outfits and furniture for a planned Victoria and Albert Museum Korea gallery, I’ve … [Read More]
LKL at 10 years: a decade in statistics
In the early years of this website, I was rather obsessed with readership statistics. It was gratifying to see the readership grow, and it was informative to see what it was they were visiting the site for. After a while, I found that nothing much was changing. And I realised that if I were to … [Read More]