London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

A last look back at 2010

We’ve digested the albums, films, sporting events and books of the year, and reviewed some of the memorable stories of 2010 in our Quiz of the Year. Here are some of the other things we noted in 2010 which didn’t quite make it into any of those articles. 2010: a year of anniversaries It was … [Read More]

LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Mark Russell

Mark Russell returns with his pick of 2010’s releases First of all, 2010 was a very good year for Korean indie music. I had not even noticed until I started putting together this list, when I kept rediscovering one solid album after another. Not just great in one genre or another, the Korean music scene … [Read More]

LKL 2010 Quiz of the Year – the answers

Here are the answers to LKL’s 2010 Quiz of the Year. Picture Quiz 1. Jong Tae-se is the emotional coal miner. The Korean footballer, born in Japan, wept as he lined up for the DPRK national team in the 2010 World Cup. After their less than successful campaign, the DPRK footballers were said to have … [Read More]

The London Korean Links Awards 2010

LKL’s fifth unscientific selection of people and events who have made 2010. Personality of the Year No question about this: Kim Yu-na. Olympic champion, 5th-highest earning female sportsperson globally, ambassador for everything from the G20 to the Catholic Church. I’m sure if she ran for president she’d get elected. Albums of the Year Four LKL … [Read More]

LKL Quiz of the Year 2010

Picture Quiz 1. Identify the main face in this picture. Why is he so emotional about being a miner? 2. Where is this picturesque scene, and why has it been in the news this year? 3. What has someone got very wrong, and what was the occasion? 4. What is this pastime, and why was … [Read More]

Bedevilled tops Tom G’s top 10 K-films of 2010

Tom Giammarco’s picks for the Best Korean Films of 2010: http://ow.ly/3uAiC (including one at #4.5 and five sharing 10th place: 1. Bedevilled 2. Poetry 3. I saw the Devil 4. Moss 4.5. Harmony 5. 71 into the fire 6. Cyrano Agency 7. Metamorphasis 8. Secret Reunion 9. Housemaid 10. Unjust, Midnight FM, Man From Nowhere, … [Read More]

A review of the London Korean Year 2010

LKL tries to sum up the London Korean cultural year. Live music Possibly the most disappointing thing about 2010 has been the number of top-flight Korean musicians who have been passing through London but not stopping to do a sensible gig there. Biuret played at a private industry showcase before heading off to Southampton – … [Read More]

LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Saharial

Saharial rounds up this year’s Critics’ Choice series with her own picks. It’s not been a great year for album buying for me. I’ve been doing more film and drama watching, and the constant injection of yet anther boy or girl group into the already over-packed market is frankly quite off-putting. The longer I spend … [Read More]

LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Philip

This is the year that Korean music has really started to appear on iTunes, making it a lot more accessible. It’s also a year which has seen a continued emphasis on girl bands, with the Wonder Girls keeping a foothold in the US and Girls Generation and Kara slugging it out in Japan. Some of … [Read More]

LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Anna Lindgren

Another year is coming to an end, and in what has become an unfortunate trend I’ve found that I’ve listened to much less music than the year before. However judging from the limited number of releases that did reach my ears, I’d like to think that 2010 (and the three months preceding it) was a … [Read More]