Looking back at some of my travel photos, I can’t help but notice the prominence of turtles in the south of the peninsula. The symbolism of the turtle is explained briefly in the Life in Korea website as follows: While the dragon was considered the ruler of all animals, the turtle ruled over the insects. … [Read More]
Category: Media (page 11)
A trio of Pyongyang time lapse videos
A video sponsored by Koryo Tours has had the Guardian descending to the level of Buzzfeed with the following clickbait headline: Timelapse video offers unique insight into North Korea’s capital city. Needless to say, Buzzfeed calls it “mind-blowing”. As you can see from the above, it’s a very slick production, from “city-branding pioneer JT Singh … [Read More]
In pictures: Lee Seung-taek at Mot International
Lee Seung-taek’s solo show at Mot International continues until 23 August. Lee was born in 1932 and the works on show at the exhibition come from the years 1957 – 1971. His work has been collected by the Tate: a 1958 version of the 1957 Godret Stone (고드랫돌) that is on show here. Lee is still … [Read More]
Shin Meekyoung’s Plinth Project, two years on
Almost exactly two years ago – on 23 July 2012 – Shin Meekyoung’s equestrian statue of the Duke of Cumberland was hoisted into position in Cavendish Square. I happened to be in the area on 24 July 2014 so I paid a visit. The soap from which the statue is made has shown itself to … [Read More]
In pictures: the Doctor Who roadshow comes to Seoul
In connection with a publicity screening of episode 1 of series 8 in Seoul on 9 August, the Beeb is running a little promotional campaign involving the Tardis. Here’s a sample of the photos from the hashtag #tardisinseoul. You can also try the hashtag #타디스인서울 or #닥터후. Download your own tardis here to cut out … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Jeehee Park — Elephant in the Room, at Hanmi Gallery
If you haven’t been to Hanmi Gallery to see Jeehee Park’s Elephant in the Room, it could well be that you are too late. Although the exhibition is due to close on 3 August, the nature of the work is not ideally suited to the hottest days of the year. The main installation in the … [Read More]
The Kimchi Slap (in case you haven’t seen it elsewhere)
Here’s the full clip from the MBC TV Drama Everybody, Kimchi. The incident in question is at 1’30”: If you’re happy with .gifs, here’s the cut-down version. I wonder how many shirts were ruined rehearsing this scene… [Read More]
Exhibition visit: MFA Degree show at Goldsmiths
It’s not always easy to get to the degree shows of the various art colleges, but I managed to sneak away from work one lunchtime and pop down to New Cross Gate to take a few installation shots at the Goldsmiths MFA 2014 degree show. Four Korean artists were showing, and I was lucky enough … [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]
“Jazz” in the DPRK: Autumn Whispers and the forbidden fruit of Richard Clayderman
I’ve just finished reading Jang Jin-sung’s memoir, Dear Leader. It’s a real page-turner that will appeal to many types of readers, including people who like a good adventure story (the passages describing Jang’s evasion of Chinese and North Korean security forces once he has fled from the North Korean capital are genuinely exciting) and of … [Read More]
A special offer on Ensemble Sinawi for LKL readers
Enjoying Seoul in the City so far? Me too. I’m not sure we’ll get around to reviewing everything on LKL, but Matthew’s account of Sir Robert Harris’s talk on UK-Korea relations, and Colette’s review of Andersen’s Gazes, will both be posted soon. There’s plenty more to come, but I wanted to share with you a … [Read More]
Korea wins Golden Lion in Venice architecture biennale
There have been a lot of Korean Ministry of Culture bigwigs in town this week for the opening of the City of London Festival, in which Korean performers are playing a major part. And many of the officials are going home to Seoul via Venice. Why? Because the Korean Pavilion has been awarded the Golden … [Read More]
Ensemble Sinawi at LSO St Luke’s – don’t miss one of the highlights of COLF
For many LKL followers, the highlight of the City of London Festival this year will be the performance by Ensemble Sinawi at LSO St Luke’s on 8 July. If you liked Geomungo Factory at the K-Music festival last year, or have caught Baramgot on one of their London performances, this evening’s performance will be a … [Read More]
In pictures: Kim Hayoung’s degree show
Kim Hayoung’s work grows on me each time I see it. And while I enjoy seeing work exhibited in a domestic setting (such as 43 Inverness Street, where Kim has had two solo shows already), it was also good to see it in a huge, well-lit exhibition space. The big work painted in acrylic on … [Read More]
2014 Travel Diary day 10: two art museums and a reality show
In which we have our customary day visiting the contemporary art museums. Eulji-ro, Seoul, Sunday 15 June, 9am. For the first time in recent memory I haven’t scheduled in a trip to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon this visit. And that’s because, since the last visit, the big construction project on … [Read More]
2014 Travel Diary day 8: Two museums near Yongin
A day-trip South into Gyeonggi-do to visit two top museums. There are other things to visit near Yongin as well as the Folk Village. Eulji-ro, Seoul, Friday 13 June, 9am. The Ho-am Art Museum in Yongin is home to a number of treasures. The museum opened in 1982 as the permanent home for the collection of Samsung boss Lee … [Read More]