London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

2012 Travel Diary 3: Bugaksan to Daehakro

Seoul, Saturday 24 March 2012. There’s time to kill before our evening appointment in Daehakro, so we go for a stroll in Samcheong-dong, along with most of the rest of Seoul. It’s 5pm on a pleasant Saturday afternoon, and young couples amble with an charming lack of purpose, getting in your way if you want to … [Read More]

Yi Chuljin at Roehampton

After seeing Yi Chuljin’s Seung Mu & Salpuri Dance. Michaelis Theatre, Roehampton University, 2nd Dec. 2009. By Paul O’Kane. To see Yi is to be freed, from the chair in which one is sitting, becoming somewhat elevated, and thereby rescued, both from this moment and from whatsoever culture we reluctantly and temporarily inhabit. In his … [Read More]

Photo Essay: Yin and Yang in Korean Dance

Jo Seong-hee captures Yi Chuljin and Nam Youngho in rehearsal with some stunning images. Text by the editor. In a carefully-planned and stimulating collaboration at Roehampton, Yi Chuljin and Nam Youngho presented an evening of balances and contrasts, explicitly referencing Yin and Yang on several layers. Most obviously, we had a male and a female … [Read More]

Yi Chuljin returns

Yi (Lee) Chuljin is an exceptional Korean dancer who has perfected his Buddhist and Shaman-inspired repertories, including Seungmu (Korean Monk dance) and Salpuri (Korean Exorcism dance), which are generally regarded as the most highly accomplished and most aesthetic folk/stage dance forms in Korea. He is particularly known for emotion and aesthetic understanding that is incredibly … [Read More]

Yi Chul Jin at Durham and SOAS

Dr Yi Chul Jin (이철진) has been in London for 6 months as part of a residency at SOAS. Dr Yi is head of the Korean Dance Art Academy, and is one of the likely candidates to be the next holder of the national intangible cultural property number 27, the Seung mu. There are two … [Read More]

Bargains at SOAS publishing workshop

It’s always worth turning up to an event when you know that book publishers are present. Brill, Saffron and Global Oriental were all present at the SOAS Korean publishing workshop on Monday. With Saffron selling their catalogue at half price on the night, and Global Oriental discounting everything to £20 (including the collected BAKS papers, … [Read More]

Sun, percussion, and yang energy

Jennifer Barclay celebrates her first anniversary with LKL with her report from the second Dano Korean Summer Festival The sound of percussion crept around Trafalgar Square as a strange vehicle circled the fountains and wheeled into view: a tall Mad Max-style contraption with coloured flags waving from poles, people dressed in black and orange hanging … [Read More]