Thanks to Andrew Jackson for the link to Winterplay’s latest single, Yoboseyo Baby (여보세요 베이비): a slightly cheeky and very catchy number with nice 1960s styling in the video. The single is from their latest album, Two Fabulous Fools, released last month. It’s just gone onto my YesAsia wishlist. Not on iTunes yet. Links: Buy … [Read More]
Category: VoDs (page 9)
A new trend in Korean-speaking Brits?
As an inspiration to the many British Koreaphiles out there who don’t speak the language, look no further than X-factor winners Little Mix. According to the Chosun Ilbo, a contestant performing a cover version of their song Wings on K-pop Star prompted them to release their own Korean version: Rather more proficient is 영국남자 or … [Read More]
Moon Jar exhibition celebrates the beauty of imperfection
This summer’s exhibition at the KCC marks 130 of relations between the UK and the Korean peninsula. And it is because of those relations, and also because of the good relations built up between the KCC and the British Museum over the years, that the exhibition happened at all. The centrepiece of the exhibition is … [Read More]
Korean artists (and award-winners) at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is now in its last week. And as ever, if you look closely at the catalogue, or have an eye for particular artists’ work, you will find a number of works by London-based Korean artists. Two years, Kwon Daehoon won the Jack Goldhill Award for sculpture at the exhibition, and … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: 오방색 O Bang Saek – the KAA’s fifth residency at the KCC
With the KAA residency at the KCC having become a regular annual fixture in the latter’s calendar, it is possible for the organisers to plan with greater certainty, more secure in the knowledge that there will be a space ready to showcase their talents. The fifth such programme fell in the fifth year of the … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Kimsooja – To Breathe: Bottari, Venice 2013
In Kimsooja’s work commissioned for the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year it was the pavilion itself that was the installation. The Korean Pavilion, designed by Seok Chul Kim and Franco Mancuso is the most recent of the 25 national pavilions to have been constructed in the Giardini and opened for business in … [Read More]
1956 – The birth of the hallyu?
Not really. But there’s a nice story in the Korea Herald about what is believed to be the first ever single released by a Korean artist in the U S of A: Ok Doo-ok’s East of Make Believe – a 1956 English-language remake of Korean singer Hyeon In’s Gohyangmanri, which roughly translates as “Miles Away … [Read More]
The Hidden Cost of Prosperity – a brave and rewarding exhibition at the KCC
Probably the bravest and among the most thought-provoking exhibitions that the KCC has hosted in its five year history is The Hidden Cost of Prosperity, a look at the darker side of the Miracle on the Han – the exploited underclass. The exhibition was one of the winners of the KCC’s Call for Curators, a … [Read More]
March For The Beloved – in memory of Gwangju
On the anniversary of the 18 May 1980 uprising in Gwangju, here is song which became its unofficial anthem. It was written in 1982 by Kim Jong-ryul for his friends, a couple who were murdered in the uprising. The title is 임을 위한 행진곡 or “March for the beloved”, sometimes translated as “March for the … [Read More]
Lee Hyori is a retro Miss Korea
I just can’t resist this new release from Lee Hyori, Miss Korea – a very different, retro, style from her previous outings. Lyrics and music are by Ms Lee herself – perhaps sensible after the trouble she’s had with her songwriters in previous albums. The single is from her upcoming album, Monochrome. According to her … [Read More]
Yoonsuk Choi: The Chronicle of Mr. Kim
A video of Yoonsuk Choi’s live performance on 10 May 2013 (16’54”) at the opening event of The Hidden Cost of Prosperity – a group exhibitino curated by Anna Art Project (annaartproject.co.uk) at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, 10 May – 6 June 2013 [Read More]
Guardian list of Seoul music
Annie Ko from Seoul electro rock band Love X Stereo selects her perfect playlist for her home city, in the Guardian. It’s also a great introduction to South Korean music. Seoul Seoul Seoul by Cho Yong-pil (pictured) tops the list. Mark Russell adds his own suggestions over on his own website, too. It’s good that … [Read More]
Kim Young-ha says: Be an artist, right now!
Kim Young-ha’s TED talk on Be an Artist, Right Now!, recorded in July 2010, but only recently uploaded to YouTube. Among other things, Kim speculates on what would have happened if Kafka had shown the first sentence of his Metamorphosis to his father: Had he shown his father, “My boy has finally lost it,” he … [Read More]
Saharial’s Entertainment Weekly: Aegyo perfection from Two X, B.A.P’s bank-busting MV, and more
Two X (투엑스, J. Tune Camp, part of JYP Entertainment), a five-member girl group who made their debut last August, have released their second single “Ring Ma Bell” (http://youtu.be/wKp0EdDEl3k). Produced by Rado, the track is an electronic dance song, and the MV differs from their first release “Double Up” (http://youtu.be/zM3KEOzGw6M) and should contain a warning … [Read More]
Saharial’s Entertainment Weekly: SISTAR19’s sultry single, LEDapple’s covers and more
Teen Top performed in London on Friday as part of their European Tour. Due to release a full length album at the end of February, the concert sounds like it was a success and is sure to herald more acts coming to the UK in the future. They continue to Paris (a sell out date) … [Read More]
The ROK Air Force parodies Les Mis
For those who, like me, find musicals a bit of a chore, here’s a 13-minute parody of one of my least favourites. It almost makes me want to try the real thing all over again. Almost, but not quite. Well done the ROK Air Force’s 22nd Fighter Wing. Les Miserables ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air … [Read More]