London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Online lecture: Samsung Rising

Let’s hope there are more of these to keep us interested while stuck at home. Instructions for joining this free Zoom conference can be found on the RASKB website. And while you’re there, join as a member if you haven’t already. Geoffrey Cain will be talking about his book Samsung Rising which was published last … [Read More]

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 … [Read More]

Looking back at 2015: DPRK and regional news

In our third review of 2015, we look at some of the North Korea related news, and stories which put the peninsula in a wider East Asian context. DPRK Human rights and defectors Shin Dong-hyuk, the most prominent campaigner among the defector community, admitted that some of his testimony (eg, in Escape from Camp 14) … [Read More]

V&A invites applicants for digital residency

An exciting time for the V&A as they prepare to host their first Korean artist in residence this October for a period of 6 months: V&A Samsung Korean Digital Art Residency 1 October 2015 – 31 March 2016 Bursary: £10,000 for six months (subject to tax and national insurance) Plus one standard return flight to … [Read More]

Looking back at 2014: Domestic news

Our final look back at 2014: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea: The Sewol and safety culture The MV Sewol capsized on 16 April, causing the death of 304 passengers. A number of factors contributed to the disaster, including lax safety inspections, unsafe modifications, unsecured cargo, overloading, and an inexperienced crew hired on temporary … [Read More]

Daewoo, Hyundai and Samsung battle to build the biggest ships

Only two years ago there was the naming ceremony for the world’s largest container ship, the Maersk Triple E built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. At 398m long and with a capacity of 18,270 twenty-foot equivalent containers, the ship had its own website, www.worldslargestship.com. Two days ago, the newest largest container ship, the CSCL … [Read More]

Will Samsung Electronics innovate again?

Peter Corbishley analyses two recent books on the subject of the company that epitomises Korea Inc. Samsung v Sony In 2010 Tony Michell published his long awaited work on Samsung Electronics.1 Sea-Jin Chang wrote Sony v Samsung2 in 2008. The opposition between the two companies seems to be stimulated by the nationalistic perception that Samsung … [Read More]

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]

Breen under pressure from Samsung

Which is more likely to make me stop buying Samsung products: an irreverent article by a British writer, or Samsung's heavy-handed response? http://bit.ly/cWnWfy # Update 13 May 2010: Samsung backs off from the civil suit, but Mike Breen still faces criminal charges [Read More]