London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

LKL book database logo

Selected publications

Jeju-do’s youngest Haenyeo

Jeju-do’s youngest Haenyo is poised to continue family tradition – nice to know there is at least one diver under 50 http://bit.ly/ocg3F2 #. Kim Yeon-ji (24) was born on Marado, south of Jeju-do, where there is little apart from a lighthouse and a few houses. (Image of Kim Yeon-ji sourced from Yonhap) Marado (마라도). (Source: … [Read More]

Lee Jung-seob: a wartime artist taking refuge in Jeju-do

Seogwipo, Jeju-do, Saturday 7 May 2011. Lee Jung-seob (이중섭) (1916-1956) is one of Korea’s best-known post-liberation painters. His work is perhaps appreciated by artists and connoisseurs more than members of the public. His contemporary Park Soo-keun, with his unthreatening and nostalgic rustic scenes, is almost a household name. Lee’s work however is more varied, combining … [Read More]

2011 Travel Diary day 8: Seogipwo’s Lee Jung-seob museum and Jeju’s stone tomb guardians

Jeju Stone Park, Saturday 7 May 2011. We wake up on our second morning in the Stone Park. We go on a pleasant stroll through the parks’s extraordinary recreation forest. The part of the forest accessible from the Stone Park has had pathways sensitively constructed enabling families to enjoy the unusual gnarled shapes of the … [Read More]

2011 Travel Diary day 7: Baek Un-cheol and Seolmundae Halmang: a lifetime’s obsession with stones and their stories

Jeju Stone Park, Friday 6 May 2011. “I fell in love with Seolmundae Halmang, and now I can’t love any other woman” says Baek Un-cheol, honorary director of Jeju Stone Park. Maybe it explains why he is single. No earthly woman can compete in his affections with the legendary earth mother and creator of Jejudo. … [Read More]

Win a honeymoon on Jeju Island

Here’s a nice little promotion which brings together a celebration of the UK Royal Wedding and the promotion of Jeju Island, that favourite of honeymoon destinations, as a candidate for New 7 Wonders. Plan your ideal honeymoon itinerary, and then get a chance to realise it. There’s lots to see on Jeju-do, but one of … [Read More]

Book review: Kim Sok-pom — The Curious Tale of Mandogi’s Ghost

Kim Sok-pom: The Curious Tale of Mandogi’s Ghost Translated by Cindi Textor Columbia University Press, 2010 (114pp) Originally published in Japanese, 1970. What seems to be new entrant in the Korean literature in translation market is more complicated than it first seems. The author, Kim Sok-pom, is actually a second-generation zainichi Korean resident in Japan, … [Read More]

Bae Chang-ho’s The Trip at the KCC

A special screening of a film set in that favourite of honeymoon destinations, Jeju Island. The Trip 7pm, Thursday 21st April Director: Bae Chang-ho Cast: Park Joo-hee, Oh Yeong-sook, Kim Yu-mi, Park Sang-gyoo Genre: Drama Certificate: 15 (South Korea) Running Time: 147 mins Venue: The Korean Cultural Centre UK Ground Floor, Grand Buildings 1-3 Strand, … [Read More]