London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

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Selected publications

  • Booklist: Pansori (12 titles)
    • Soritgonggam: Sharing Korean Folk Music, at the KCC

      The performance Soritgonggam in London, brought jointly by the Korea Cultural Heritage Administration, Korean Cultural Centre UK, and Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, will be held here in London to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the UK and the Republic of Korea. Held on a special stage prepared in the Cultural Heritage … [Read More]

      K-music 2023: Leenalchi tours to Nottingham and Leeds

      LEENALCHI, the sensation that took the online world by storm with their unique musical creation, “Tiger Is Coming.” This unique blend of danceable groove and musical storytelling, Sugungga has garnered millions of views, captivating audiences worldwide. The bassist and producer of LEENALCHI is a highly acclaimed figure in the contemporary Korean music scene, Jang Young … [Read More]

      Korean performers at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival

      Five performance programmes from Korea to celebrate 140 years of diplomatic relations with the UK: three of chamber and solo instrumental music, plus the KBS Symphony Orchestra and the National Changgeuk Company. 8 August: Novus String Quartet The Queen’s Hall, 11:00am Tickets from £13.50 | Buy tickets here Schubert String Quartet in C minor D703 ‘Quartettsatz’ … [Read More]

      K-Music Festival 2022: the official press release

      We’re excited at the line-up for this autumn’s K-Music Festival. Here are the full details, with links to the individual gig notices. K-MUSIC FESTIVAL 2022: Korea across London this autumn Wednesday 5 October – Thursday 24 November 2022 This autumn, as an exhibition ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ opens at the V&A, the K-Music Festival, now … [Read More]

      K-music 2022: Lee Jaram performs Hemingway

      Leading pansori singer and performer Jaram Lee presents The Old Man And The Sea, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s classic story. Pansori is the ancient art of expressive musical storytelling where a singer is accompanied by a drummer and performs a narrative that can be tragic or funny – always entertaining. It is thought to have … [Read More]

      Festival Film Review: The Singer

      As is often the case, I was out of town for the London East Asia Film Festival, so I missed the international premiere of the Director’s Cut of Cho Jungrae’s The Singer. I’m not sure if the previously available version has had a formal international premiere – probably not, given the devastation that Covid has … [Read More]

      Interview: Cho Jungrae (The Singer, 2020)

      I watched Cho Jungrae’s 2020 movie The Singer earlier this year online, after being told by a friend of the director that it was available on Amazon Prime. It struck me as a fresh take on the pansori movie genre: instead of telling a pansori tale more or less straight like Im Kwon-taek’s Chunhyang, it … [Read More]

      K-music 2020 online: Jaram Lee

      The final show in the K-Music Encounters series features leading pansori singer, Jaram Lee, where she will discuss and perform The Old Man and The Sea, based on Ernest Hemingway’s masterpiece and recreated in pansori form. Lee goes back to the basics of pansori, and only with traditional Pansori linguistics and simple percussion, she brings … [Read More]

      K-music 2019: Celebrate Pansori, 6 October @ Kings Place

      The second concert in this year’s K-music festival. K-music 2019: Celebrate Pansori Sunday 6 October 2018, 7:30pm Kings Place (Hall One) | 90 York Way | London N1 9AG Tickets £15 + booking fee | Book tickets The Korea Pansori Preservation Association preserves the rich history of traditional Korean opera, studying the art and sharing … [Read More]

      K-music 2018: Ahn Sook-sun, 3 November @Purcell Room

      Event of the year so far has been the Changgeuk Trojan Women, in which Ahn Sook-sun played a significant part. I’m thinking this fourth concert in the 2018 K-music festival could be even better. Note the early start time. The event is preceded by a free talk. Ahn Sook-sun: Heungbuga (흥부가) Saturday 3 November 2018, … [Read More]

      Theatre visit: a changgeuk Trojan Women

      An adaptation of a Greek play more than 2400 years old interpreted through the medium of an early 20th century Korean performing practice does not immediately sound a promising theatrical experience, except perhaps to the handful of people who appreciate both Euripides’s take on Homer and Changgeuk’s adaptation of Pansori. Nevertheless, the Purcell Room had … [Read More]