London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Looking back at 2015: Entertainment news

In the second of four retrospective articles, we recall some of the entertainment stories that caught our eye in 2015. We’ve left out a few of the more scurrilous stories. Also, a few sad deaths of people outside the entertainment industry. Entertainment Ode to My Father became the second-biggest box-office hit of all time, boosting … [Read More]

Wonder Girls rapper in top 25 beauty list

Nice to see the Wonder Girls in the news. I wonder how JYP managed to get Yu-bin onto the list of 25 Sexiest Musicians Under 25, compiled by US website Complex Music. Yu-bin, who replaced the band’s previous main rapper Hyuna, comes in at number 20. Judge for yourself, but I think she should be … [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]

A belated look back at 2009

For the past 3 years LKL has concocted a quiz of the year as a way of gathering together some of the news stories which have most caught our eye. This year, as I came to draw up the list in mid December I found it hard to think of anything amusing or diverting: most … [Read More]

Wonder Girls One to Watch

The Wonder Girls have been picked as ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2010, by advertising agency JWT. First Koreans to make it into US Billboard charts top 100. # The “girl group has conquered Asia and has its sights on the rest of the world,” JWT said. Source: Chosun Ilbo [Read More]

LKL 2008 Quiz of the year – the answers

The answers to the teasers posed just before the New Year. 1 Stressful times What does the current credit crunch and the most recent DPRK nuclear test have in common? a) the media blame them on an incompetent government who should have seen it coming and somehow prevented it b) they would both cause a … [Read More]

LKL Critics’ Choice 2008: Philip

The last of a series in which regular and guest LKL contributors nominate their CD releases of the year. As Mark Russell notes in his 2008 roundup, we had some good reissues this year. This is great news, as it shows that the Korean music industry is showing some maturity. Why after all should fans … [Read More]

So Hot?

The official provider of broadband services to the LKL household has been looking East. As part of their Hot Girl Group series Virgin Media has noticed JYP’s teenage girl band Wonder Girls. Number 8 in a list containing 7 other girl groups whose average age is at least 5 years older than them, the performers … [Read More]

That Wonder Girls song – and an antidote

This one will be quick. Once again, Matt over at Popular Gusts has written the post that everyone wishes they’d written themselves. So, here’s Tell Me, the song and dance that everyone’s talking about, performed by the teenage girl band Wonder Girls – the creation of Park Jin-young (JYP), the man who invented Rain: Traffic … [Read More]