London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

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Selected publications

  • Booklist: Traditional Korean Music (17 titles)
    • Gig review: Heemoon Lee + Prelude

      Last Sunday night we had the choice between two Korean performers, both known for their unusual dress sense and unique stage presence and more importantly both leaders in their respective fields. With one, the price tag was upwards of £60, for which you had to queue up at a large North London venue, submit to … [Read More]

      Fringe review: Ensemble SU — The Party

      Ensemble SU is a five-piece fusion group formed in 2010 and led by Jihye “JJ” Hur on 25-string gayageum with Yein Kim on haegeum, Myunghyun Park on cello, Sangjung Lee on keyboard and Deokhwan Kim playing Korean and western percussion (and not to be confused with a similarly named jazz / gugak fusion trio based … [Read More]

      Think Korea 2006 – an introduction

      Think Korea 2006 was an ambitious programme of cultural and other events organised by the Korean Embassy as part of the “Korea-UK Mutual Visit Year”. There was, I believe, a reciprocal series of UK-related events organised in Korea, but I never saw any publicity about it. One event I do know of: the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra … [Read More]

      K-music 2017: full programme announced

      It seems wrong to be posting details of events in the Autumn when summer has only just started, but I’m a great believer in being able to plan your diary a couple of months in advance, and there’s lots here that you will want to come along to. K-Music 2017: Full Programme Announced 15 September … [Read More]

      Event news: Korean Sounds – East Meet West: Space

      The third of this year’s Korean Sounds series is on the theme of Space. Korean Sounds East Meets West: Space Wednesday, 2 August 2017 – 7:30pm King’s Place Hall One Online Price: £16.50 – £12.50 | Savers £9.50 | Book tickets Hyeonak Yeongsanhoesang: Sangnyeongsan, Jungnyeongsan, Seryeongsan, Garakdeori, Sanghyeondodeuri, Hahyeondodeuri, Yeombuldeuri, Taryeong, Gunak Liszt 2 Elegies, S130 & … [Read More]

      Event news: SOAS Korean Music summer school

      This is a great opportunity to be introduced to the techniques for playing some of the best-known Korean traditional instruments: Korean Wind, Strings and Percussion with Hyelim Kim Monday 17th – Friday 21st July, 6-8pm Venue: SOAS, Russell Square, College Buildings Course Fee: £115 (Concessions £95) | Book via SOAS online store Korean traditional music, known … [Read More]

      Conference news: Presence Through Sound — Place and contemporary music in and from East Asia

      Coming up at SOAS immediately after Easter, a two-day conference that includes a concert at Club Inégales, one of our favourite venues. Presence Through Sound: Place and contemporary music in and from East Asia 18 April 2017, 9:30am – 6pm, Room 116, SOAS College Buildings 18 April 2017, 7pm – 10pm, Club Inégales, 180 North … [Read More]

      I, Kid – the opening performance

      I, Kid is now the seventh exhibition by the Korean Artists Association UK to be held at the KCC, and their 9th performance. This year’s performance and exhibition aimed to give expression to a feeling of nostalgia for one’s childhood – and for most artists participating in the event, this meant their childhood back in Korea. Previous … [Read More]

      Fringe visit: Tago – Korean Drum II

      On paper, one hour of Korean drumming doesn’t sound appealing, but this type of show is consistently popular with fringe-goers. There is enough variety to keep the audience interested, from Buddhist temple percussion to Samulnori, and the energy and enthusiasm of the performers is infectious. There is also some very non-traditional percussion: a trolley which … [Read More]

      Songlines reviews some Korean releases

      As if to warm us up for this year’s K-music Festival, Songlines July issue reviews three recent Korean CDs: The one of most interest to past attendees of the festival will be a review of Jambinai’s latest release, A Hermitage. Songlines were strangely lukewarm about it. Not so Consequence of Sound: “Experimental outfit blends traditional Korean … [Read More]