London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

LKL book database logo

Selected publications

Looking back at 2014: Domestic news

Our final look back at 2014: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea: The Sewol and safety culture The MV Sewol capsized on 16 April, causing the death of 304 passengers. A number of factors contributed to the disaster, including lax safety inspections, unsafe modifications, unsecured cargo, overloading, and an inexperienced crew hired on temporary … [Read More]

Seoul fortune-tellers analyse Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un "a violent character prone to display double standards": http://bit.ly/9IOf1Z # That’s the analysis on the junior Kim by fortune-tellers in South Korea who have studied his face, including the size of his forehead, the arrangement of his eyes, his cheekbone contour, and the thickness of his lips. But what if all the above … [Read More]

The entertainment industry in the news

Some recent articles on the spread of K-pop in 2010, and on the darker side of the industry. K-Pop Online: Korean Stars Go Global with Social Media – TIME http://bit.ly/c5oA73 #. Underage celebs suffer mistreatment, says the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (Korea Times, 27 Aug) Sexy moves provoke debate over teen idols, says … [Read More]

Busan, hub city?

OK, so I didn’t make it to PIFF this year. I don’t think I’m ever likely to: time away from work is precious, and to be spent with one’s beloved. If one’s beloved isn’t in to sitting in a darkened movie theatre straining to read the subtitles for days on end (and I’m not sure … [Read More]

Cosmetic surgery to get tax breaks

As if there wasn’t enough plastic surgery in Korea already, the Government has just made it tax deductible. According to the Chosun Ilbo: The costs of plastic surgery, cosmetic tooth reshaping, corrective laser eye surgery, and “boyak”, or traditional Korean health supplements, will be eligible for income deductions in the year-end tax adjustment from this … [Read More]

Fourth most ideal rear belongs to transgender star

Sorry to be a bit tabloid, but I just had to preserve this article from the Chosun Ilbo, which illustrates the Korean obsession with plastic surgery. Visitors to a plastic surgeon’s website were asked whose bum they would most like to have. The preferred posterior profiles were owned by the following celebs, in order: Jeon … [Read More]