It’s not often that you find a K-pop story in the pink pages of the Financial Times. In fact, if you search their site for “BTS” you will simply get a list of articles about the company formerly known as British Telecom. So what brings them to report the ins and outs of Lee Seung-hyun’s, […]
Category: Current Affairs
2019 LSE SU EAST ASIA Forum: “New Chapter for Cooperation?”
This year the LSE’s North Korea conference, which for the past couple of years has followed closely on the heels of the Korea Future Forum, has expended its scope to cover the whole region: 2019 LSE SU EAST ASIA Forum: “New Chapter for Cooperation?” Saturday 23 March 2019, 9:30am – 6pm Old Theatre | LSE […]
Korea’s Metoo, Withyou: A Conversation with Pros. Seo Jihyun
Join the SOAS Korean Social & Environmental Justice Society for a conversation with Prosecutor Seo Jihyun, the initiator of the Metoo movement in Korea. Prosecutor Seo Jihyun shocked the Korean society in January 2018 by appearing on national television to reveal the sexual harassment she had experienced at work and the serious career setbacks she […]
2019 LSE SU Korea Future Forum: Progression or Regression?
This year’s Korea Future Forum looks particularly interesting for the two keynote addresses, especially prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun. Full speaker details and more on the conference’s website and Facebook page. 2019 LSE SU Korea Future Forum Old Theatre, Old Building, LSE Saturday 2 March 2019, 9:30 AM – 5:20 PM Tickets £40 (students £20) | Buy […]
RIP Kim Bok-dong
Next Tuesday, 5 February, a vigil will be held in remembrance of Kim Bok-dong who passed away on Monday 28 January, aged 93. She was a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery and a tireless campaigner against violence to women and girls in conflict. Her visit to London in 2015 touched many hearts. The vigil […]
Screening: Stories from the Clean Room
SOAS Korean Social and Environmental Justice Society hosts Stories from the Clean Room: a documentary about workers who are dying to make the electronics we cannot live without. Stories from the Clean Room is a documentary exposing the dirty truths about toxic chemicals and harm to workers in the electronics industry. The film, made by […]
North Korea’s Nuclear Program – A New Perspective
SOAS’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Society and North Korean Culture Society host a public meeting offering new perspectives on the North Korean nuclear issue Monday 28 January 2019, 7pm till 9pm (Ending time depends on discussion) Venue: Room G3 | SOAS main building | Thornhaugh Street | Russell Square | London WC1H 0XG Guest Speaker: […]
Kia wins Car of the Year award
Congratulations to Kia for being the first Korean manufacturer to win Car of the Year award from the UK’s What Car? magazine. According to the magazine, “the e-Niro beats its rivals via knockout rather than on points, because it’s the first sensibly priced electric car that can fit into most people’s lives.” The company’s press […]
Korean Englishman team wins cultural ambassador award
Congratulations to the Korean Englishman team Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal for their “Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award” from the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI). The award ceremony was held two days ago. Josh and Ollie run the 영국남자 Korean Englishman and JOLLY YouTube channels, which between them have over 4 million subscribers. Links: Corea Image […]
Sokeel Park awarded MBE
Congratulations to Sokeel Park for being awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list, published on 28 December. The official citation in the Foreign Secretary’s Diplomatic Service and Overseas List reads: Sokeel John PARK, Country Director, Liberty in North Korea. For services to UK/Korea relations … though you suspect that Mr Park is […]
Gender and Politics in Northeast Asia: Legislative Patterns of Female Legislators in Korea and Taiwan
Organised by the SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies, but of interest to Koreanists: Gender and Politics in Northeast Asia: Legislative Patterns of Female Legislators in Korea and Taiwan 5 December 2018, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm SOAS, Russell Square, College Buildings, Room 4426 Abstract Drawing insights from the literature on the effect of gender on […]
You come in, I come out: a gay man in the South Korean army
Jeram Yunghun Kang tells his personal and disturbing story of coming out as gay in the South Korean army, and discusses the institutional homophobia that still criminalises gay men in the military today. Jeram is a London based artist who earlier this year produced an art installation and book, ‘You Come In, I Come Out’ […]
BTS’s busy couple of weeks
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 […]
Text of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration
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 […]
Online seminar: Lessons from Arts and Cultural Education in UK and South Korea
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 […]
National Pension Service buys Goldman European head office
Korea’s National Pension Service is buying the Goldman Sachs European head office building for £1.165 billion (around $1.5bn), four years after it sold its investment in HSBC’s headquarters building in Canary Wharf. That sale netted them around $0.5bn in gains. “We are excited to re-enter into the London market with this high quality asset which […]
RIP Bill Speakman VC
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 […]