Thanks to David Gomez for writing in with an answer to a question which lots of people have asked: where to buy Korean books in London. Not books about Korea, not books about how to learn Korean, but books written in Korean. My standard answer is that I haven’t the foggiest idea, but that if … [Read More]
Tag: Ticker
Suh Do-ho in Psycho Buildings
Psycho Buildings is a cosmopolitan collaboration in which artists from as far afield as Tokyo and Cuba “take on” architecture. Suh Do-ho (right) is one of the diaspora of Korean artists working in various countries around the world. Like Baik Nam June, Suh has chosen to make his home in America. Suh’s work has in … [Read More]
Anglo-Korean Society Korean night – he said
One of two accounts of the recent Anglo-Korean Society evening at the KCC – this one by Matthew Jackson The forces of the AKS, KTO and KCC were combined to good effect at the Cultural Evening on Thursday, 10 April. Walking around the packed Cultural Centre, it felt as though things have changed a lot … [Read More]
Korean football in crisis?
Aashish Gadhvi has some issues to get off his chest about the state of Korean football. Its time to face facts, people. The golden generation is finished. The players are all overpaid, high-ego celebrities with more money than talent. The fans don’t get behind the team and no manager in their right mind would take … [Read More]
Suzannah Clarke’s musical diplomacy
A while ago I posted about Jason Carter’s trip to Pyongyang to participate in the annual Friendship Festival. While in Pyongyang, Carter met up with Middlesborough opera diva Suzannah Clarke, who has been performing at the Friendship Festival every year since 2003. Clarke’s North Korean connection is through football. She’s had a long association with … [Read More]
DPRK travellers’ tales
Two travel accounts have recently been highlighted in the BAKS list. First, a long account by guitarist Jason Carter of his 10-day trip to Pyongyang earlier this year to perform in a spring music festival. Like many DPRK travel accounts, we find the author having moments of frustration with the minders as well as appreciating … [Read More]
Spot the difference: Starburst and June Bum Park
Watch the two videos below and tell me if you think one was influenced by the other. The top video is a new TV commercial for a new variant of the chewy sweet formerly known as Opal Fruits. The commercial (known as Starburst Choozers – Licking Policeman) is produced by London advertising agency TBWA according … [Read More]
Korea and the Asian Cup 2007 – A Bittersweet Life
Aashish Gadhvi analyses the performance of the Red Devils in the recent Asian Cup The 2007 AFC Asian Cup passed under the eyes of the world’s media almost unnoticed, probably down to David Beckham’s summer transfer to LA Galaxy. Barring the sensational victory by Iraq, which made headline news, the tournament was hard to track … [Read More]