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BTS’s busy couple of weeks

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by Philip Gowman on 16 October, 2018

in Event reports and reviews | Hallyu | In the news | Pop rock and indie | TV shows

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Korea’s biggest band: A speech for UNICEF at the United Nations on 24 September. The speech, by the band’s leader Kim Namjun (aka RM), ended as follows: Like most people, I’ve made many and plenty mistakes in my life. I have many faults and I have many […]

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Text of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration

by Philip Gowman 19 September 2018
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The following is the unofficial translation of the communique issued from the Pyongyang summit. President Moon’s statement following the summit can be found on the Blue House website. At the bottom of this post is a link to download a translation of the military accord that was signed at the same time. Pyongyang Joint Declaration […]

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Online seminar: Lessons from Arts and Cultural Education in UK and South Korea

by Events Editor 13 September 2018
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An online seminar which is a product of the UK/Korea Creative Futures festival of culture sponsored by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce): Lessons From Arts and Cultural Education in the UK and South Korea: Online Workshop Thursday 20th September 2018 at 11:30 – 12:30 Zoom / Online (full […]

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RIP Bill Speakman VC

by Philip Gowman 21 July 2018
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The funeral was held this week for Bill Speakman, the so-called Beer Bottle VC. The ceremony was held on 19 July in the Wren Chapel at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, where Speakman was a pensioner. He died peacefully at the Hospital on 20 June 2018, aged 90, surrounded by members of his family. Obituaries can be […]

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The Singapore Summit: the Joint Statement

by Philip Gowman 12 June 2018
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Here is the official text from the Summit: Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit. President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim […]

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Assessing the Moon Administration One Year On

by Events Editor 2 June 2018
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It’s a while since Chatham House did a session on South Korea, and the timing for this couldn’t be better. Assessing the Moon Administration One Year On 13 June 2018 – 1:15pm to 5:45pm Chatham House | 10 St James’s Square | London SW1Y 4LE Participants Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Korea Chair, Center for […]

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Min Kym’s stolen Strad – the Classic FM podcast

by Philip Gowman 20 May 2018
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“This is the story of violinist Min Kym and what happened when her instrument was taken from her. It’s a tale of giddy love, devastating loss and the healing power of music.” Listen to the podcast here, with a summary on the Classic FM website here. Keywords: Musicians: Kym Min-jin

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UK gets its first elected Korean councillors

by Philip Gowman 5 May 2018
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Congratulations to Ha Jaesung and Kwon Bora, who have become the first Koreans to be elected councillors in the UK following the local elections on 3 May. Ha was elected to the Kingston Council for the Lib Dems, while Kwon was elected to Hammersmith and Fulham for Labour. He stood for the first time in […]

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Text of the Panmunjeom Declaration

by Philip Gowman 27 April 2018
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I’m wondering why a text as significant as this one is not prominently displayed on the Chongwadae or Ministry of Unification websites. The following is the unofficial translation you can find in the English-language newspapers. If there’s a materially different official version that subsequently comes to light I’ll repost. Update 12 May 2018 – I’ve […]

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Lee Geonyong receives Thomas Cranmer Award

by Philip Gowman 7 April 2018
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Congratulations to Dr Lee Geonyong, director of music at Seoul’s Anglican Cathedral, granted the Thomas Cranmer Award for Worship by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 6 April 2018. The Cranmer Award for Worship was first awarded by Archbishop Justin Welby in March 2016. It is named after Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to […]

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Korea Future Initiative publishes #UsToo report on North Korea

by Philip Gowman 11 March 2018
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The #MeToo campaign is generating so much news in South Korea that it could be easy to forget that the same issues exist, to a greater degree, north of the border. Korea Future Initiative is a London-based organisation that rescues vulnerable North Koreans, reports and investigates human rights violations, and provides redress for exiles through […]

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Neverland: Holland’s ground-breaking K-pop debut in context

by Colette Balmain 19 February 2018
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Dr Colette Balmain discusses the controversial debut MV from Korea’s “first openly gay” KPOP idol. “Never lose self-esteem and be confident” (Holland, 2018) On 22st January 2018, at exactly midnight KST, Holland released his debut single and MV “Neverland”.  Since its release, “Neverland” has racked up over 6 million views on YouTube and Holland has […]

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Korea Through My Queer Eyes: a talk with Heezy Yang

by Events Editor 16 February 2018
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Coming up next week, a very informal talk session with South Korean artist and activist Heezy Yang (a.k.a. Hurricane Kimchi). Korea Through My Queer Eyes 21 February at 19:30–21:00 G3, SOAS The topics will include Seoul Pride, Military Service, Queer Youth, Parents and Family, Night Life, Drag Culture, Art & Entertainment! About Heezy Yang Heezy […]

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Photography exhibition: Gay Men And Pants

by Events Editor 15 February 2018
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Late notice of an exhibition by South Korean artist, performer and LBGT activist Heezy Yang aka Hurricane Kimchi: Gay Men And Pants New Bloomsbury Set | The Basement | 76 Marchmont Street | London WC1N 1AG 15-16 February 2018 Bar opening hours 4pm – 11.30pm “Underwear as medium – taking an intimate look at queer lives in […]

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South Korea: Earth’s Hidden Wilderness – BBC2 documentary

by Events Editor 11 February 2018
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To complement their coverage of the winter Olympics, the BBC is screening what looks like an interesting documentary covering things you might not often see in coverage of the peninsula. With plenty of Korean experts advising and behind the camera, this should be well worth a watch. South Korea – Earth’s Hidden Wilderness BBC2, 8:00pm […]

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In memory of Hwang Byung-ki

by Philip Gowman 10 February 2018
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In memory of the great man, here’s a video interview on Arirang TV uploaded in January 2015: And here he is playing one of his best-known compositions, Chimhyangmoo (침향무 | 沈香舞), performed on the KBS show Gugak Hanmadang. The definitive obituary in English has been written by Jocelyn Clark in the Asia Times. I was […]

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Javier Cha on the uses of digitised historical data

by Philip Gowman 10 February 2018
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Last night at SOAS there was a choice of two early evening events to start the weekend. I only heard about the appearance of South Korean queer artist and activist Heezy Yang (aka Hurricane Kimchi) two hours before the event, and I had already prepared myself mentally for the Centre of Korean Studies seminar on […]

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