London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

2024 in review part 3 – the film festivals and other screenings

In a somewhat disappointing filmic year in Korea, in London we could nevertheless celebrate the fact that a handful of the latest big-budget Korean movies continue to have limited-scope theatrical releases. In 2024 we got director Heo Myung-haeng’s contribution to the Roundup franchise, and the final instalment of Kim Han-min’s Yi Sun-shin trilogy, plus Jang … [Read More]

London Korean Film Festival Announces 2024 Programme

Here’s the official press release for this year’s London Korean Film Festival, released today. Some good things here! Korean Cultural Centre UK announces London Korean Film Festival 2024 Programme Opening Gala Film: Park Beom-su’s VICTORY Closing Gala Film: E.oni’s LOVE IN THE BIG CITY Special Screening: Choi Dong-hoon’s ALIENOID: RETURN TO THE FUTURE London, 1 … [Read More]

Next Sohee (다음 소희) – preview & theatrical release

Highschooler Sohee is required to complete an internship before she can graduate. She is placed in a local call centre with a stressful metric-driven environment so toxic it drives one of her colleagues to suicide. July Jung’s compelling drama exposes the harrowing impacts of capitalism, particularly on the young and disadvantaged. Content warning: Contains scenes … [Read More]

Korean interest at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival

Details of the five Korean movies and one Korean American movie in this year’s London Film Festival follow. For completeness, and not listed below, there’s a zainichi Korean character in Kôji Fukada’s movie Love Life. Decision to Leave (헤어질 결심) South Korea 2022, 138min Director-Producer: Park Chan-wook Screenwriters: Chung Seo-Kyung, Park Chan-wook Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il … [Read More]

Love without Boundaries: A Girl At My Door

The first screening in the Love without Boundaries season was the hit of the 2014 festivals: A Girl at my Door (도희야) Director: July Jung (2014, 119 mins) Cast: Bae Doona, Kim Sae Ron, Song Sae Byuk Thursday 4 July 2019, 7:00 pm @KCCUK | Reserve your seat Following a personal scandal which disgraces her … [Read More]

Festival Film reviews: we also went to…

We’ve almost finished clearing the London Korean Film Festival backlog, the only major review outstanding now being Park Chan-kyong’s fascinating documentary Manshin. While I’m polishing that, here are a few brief reviews of the films I didn’t feel moved to write dedicated articles about. Han Gong-ju A heavy and depressing story redeemed by the sensitive … [Read More]