London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Bang Bang Con: The Live

What is likely to be the biggest global livestreamed event of the Covid lockdown kicks off at 10am BST on Sunday 14 June. Runtime is expected to be 90 minutes. The concert will be streaming on Weverse. The event will provide some consolation for BTS’s UK fans who were looking forward to their appearance at … [Read More]

Connect, BTS art projects in London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul, New York

For full details of the projects organised under the CONNECT, BTS umbrella visit the official website, www.connect-bts.com, which explains that: CONNECT, BTS is a global project to connect five cities and twenty-two artists, each of whom contributes their unique philosophy and imagination to it. This project aims to redefine the relationships between art and music, … [Read More]

It will pass, someday: Gothic ethereality and introspection in RM’s Mono

RM’s second mixtape, Mono, dropped on 23 October 2018 almost two and a half years after the self-titled RM, which was released on 20 March 2015. Mono was accompanied by a music video for the final track “Forever Rain” with lyric videos released for “Seoul” and “Moonchild” on 23 and 24 October respectively. It followed J-Hope’s earlier … [Read More]

The end of the journey: desire, recognition and redemption in BTS’s “IDOL”

Dr Colette Balmain examines the culmination of the BTS Love Yourself series: “IDOL” is the lead single from BTS’s final album in the “Love Yourself” series. The series comprises one extended storyworld music video, Love Yourself 起 Wonder; one mini album, Love Yourself 承 Her; one full length album, Love Yourself 轉 Tear; and one … [Read More]

The Garden of the Forking Paths: Difference and Repetition in BTS “Epiphany”

Dr Colette Balmain examines the BTS comeback trailer for Love Yourself 結 Answer: “Epiphany” is the comeback trailer for BTS’ last entry in the LOVE YOURSELF Series: Love Yourself 結 Answer. LOVE YOURSELF is a transmedia and multimedia project involving the expansion of the BTS Universe through the construction of a metafictional storyworld established by Music … [Read More]

BTS “Love Yourself” World Tour in London

If you’re very lucky, you might still be able to get tickets for this, probably the biggest K-pop event in the UK this year. The website occasionally releases a few more for sale. BTS “Love Yourself” World Tour in London The O2 Arena 9 – 10 October 2018 Tickets BTS will kick off ‘LOVE YOURSELF’ … [Read More]

Artistry, Creativity & Emotionality: Choreographies of the self in “Fake Love”

Dr Colette Balmain examines the lead single from BTS’s Love Yourself 轉 Tear: “Fake Love” is the lead single from BTS’ third studio album Love Yourself 轉 Tear (they have also released three Japanese studio albums, two repackages, five EPs and two single albums to date) and follows, both temporally and thematically, the comeback trailer “Singularity” … [Read More]

Trajectories of Meaning in “Singularity” – the BTS Comeback Trailer: Love Yourself 轉 Tear

Dr Colette Balmain analyses the comeback trailer for BTS’s third studio album: From Serendipity to Singularity: A Universe of Meaning “Singularity” is the comeback trailer for BTS’ third studio or full length album, Love Yourself: Tear which will be released on 18th May 2018. This follows up the mini album or EP, Love Yourself: Her … [Read More]