London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

LKL book database logo

Selected publications

Gallery: Hanji – Paper Compositions

The KCC’s summer exhibition was co-sponsored by the Hanji Development Institute, which is affiliated with the Hanji Theme Park in Wonju, Gangwon-do. Wonju was noted for its mulberry trees, and hence its hanji, in the Sillok from King Sejong’s reign and thus competes with other areas of Korea such as Mungyeong and Jeonju for the … [Read More]

Hanji: Paper Compositions, at the KCC

The Korean Cultural Centre, UK presents Hanji: Paper Compositions, an exhibition that explores the possibilities of traditional Korean paper, or hanji. The exhibition approaches hanji as a versatile material, and features the work of over 20 internationally recognised and emerging artists whose mastering of various hanji techniques allows them to push the boundaries of making … [Read More]

Online talks: Preserving Korean Pictorial Art | the History of Hanji

Two free talks by the British Musuem’s Korean paintings conservator: Preserving Korean Pictorial Art | the History of Hanji Thursday 7 October 2021 & Thursday 14 October 2021, 7pm – 8pm Book via the KCCUK website This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from conservator Dr. Meejung Kim-Marandet (Amorepacific Conservator for Korean Paintings, British Museum) … [Read More]

The Korean Villages of Joung Young-ju

I’ve been really impressed by the atmosphere created by Joung Young-ju’s paintings. Villages densely populate hillsides and valleys and fickle lights evoke feelings of intimacy and warmth. Sunrise and sunset define a special time of the day which forms a connection between two separate moments: day and night. And, hence, it feels like an ethereal … [Read More]

The World’s First ‘Active’ Greenhouse

The greenhouse is an ancient invention, dating back 2,200 years. Modern ‘active’ greenhouses are distinguished from older ‘passive’ ones by the fact that they allow for the adjustment of air and soil temperature. Previously, the first such greenhouses were believed to have been built in Germany in 1619, using a stove to regulate air temperature, … [Read More]

Ilhwa Kim: Seed System, at HOFA Gallery

Late notice of an exhibition by a Korean artist working with hanji: Ilhwa Kim: Seed System 22 September – 6 October 2019 The House of Fine Art – HOFA Gallery | Unit 30 | Royal Opera Arcade | 5b Pall Mall | London SW1Y 4UY | thehouseoffineart.com Contemporary Korean artist Ilhwa Kim will be returning … [Read More]

Im Kwon-taek: In search of perfection

As the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon approach, LKL is finally spurred to write up some archive notes of interviews and Q&A’s with the director of their Opening Ceremony… “Why are you torturing me?” was Im Kwon-taek’s heartfelt cry when attending a screening of one of his films from the 1960s at a 70-film retrospective … [Read More]

Exhibition visit: Chun Kwang-young’s Mulberry Mindscapes at Bernard Jacobson Gallery

Somehow, the recent acquisition at the V&A of Chun Kwang-young’s Aggregation10-SE032RED, placed as it is in a glass display case, lacks the impact of the new works by the distinguished artist currently on at Bernard Jacobson Gallery in Cork Street. Because of the glass, you can’t get right up close; and because of the compactness … [Read More]

New publication: Hanji Unfurled

If you were inspired to find out more about hanji by Im Kwon-taek’s Scooping the Moonlight and Kim Hong-joon’s related making-of documentary, quite by chance Legacy Press published a book on it last week. It’s gone straight onto my Amazon wishlist Top Scholar and Artist Writes First American Book on Korean Papermaking (October 23, 2012, … [Read More]

The World’s Oldest Woodblock Print

Matthew Jackson explores another of Korea’s contributions to world culture The first printing presses were made out of wood. The process of woodblock printing emerged in the East during the 8th century. For some time, the earliest woodblock print was believed to be a copy of the Diamond Sutra, discovered at Dunhuang in China by … [Read More]