Ahn Jung-hyo: White Badge Soho Press, NY, 1989, 337pp Originally published as 하얀전쟁, 1983 Translated by the author If I saw Jeong Ji-young’s White Badge (1992) when it screened in London eight years ago, I do not remember it. I cannot imagine having a similar lapse of memory concerning Ahn Jung-hyo’s Vietnam war novel on … [Read More]
Front Page
Five from the archive
Review: Youn Sun Nah and Ulf Wakenius at the Vortex
There weren’t many people who knew what to expect at the Vortex on Sunday night. Time Out had given a useful taster in their listings column, while one or two Korean fans (including the ambassador’s wife) knew Youn Sun Nah’s music well. Probably most of the audience were there because they are Vortex regulars – … [Read More]
Toegye Yi Hwang’s Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning
In the British Museum’s Korea Gallery can be found a wood block printed book, The Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, written by Korea’s most famous Confucian scholar, Yi Hwang (이황, also known by his pen name, Toegye, 퇴계) (1501-1570). The volume is on loan from the British Library. The work was completed in 1568 and … [Read More]
Book review: Without You, There Is No Us
Suki Kim: Without You, There Is No Us. Rider / Penguin Random House, 2015, 291pp I always come to books about the DPRK with a certain amount of reluctance, because there are far too many of them and I wonder what each successive book will have to say that is new. I approached this one … [Read More]
Book review: Christopher Lovins on King Chŏngjo
Thus far this year I’ve been focusing on literature in translation. As I wait for the next major wave of publications to hit the shops, I’ve turned my attention to non-fiction. And the first title I reached for was Christopher Lovins’s King Chŏngjo: An Enlightened Despot in Early Modern Korea, which came out in paperback … [Read More]
Recent Posts
May events
May is shaping up to be a fantastic month. London Craft Week brings some lovely things to town, plus it’s a stand-out month for performance: as well as the Festival of Korean Dance, which tours to Bournemouth, Salford, Newcastle and Glasgow, there’s the opportunity to see the holders of intangible cultural property no 82-1 in … [Read More]
Intelligence with Soul: Dr Seunghye Sun on AI, K-Culture, and the Art of Human Connection
Jennifer Paun, who organised and hosted KCCUK Director Seunghye Sun’s valedictory talk at the University Women’s Club, gives her impressions of the evening. On the evening of Tuesday 24 March 2026, it was a great pleasure for me to welcome Dr Seunghye Sun to the University Women’s Club for her lecture, K-Everything with AI: Rethinking … [Read More]
Hangul Celluloid content is now available on LKL
Three months ago Hangul Celluloid‘s Paul Quinn made the shock announcement that he was going to close down his site, taking it offline today, 23 March. He also extended an invitation: So, for those of you who still feel there’s stuff worth grabbing from there, grab it now… ‘coz when it’s gone, it’s gone… And … [Read More]
What do you think about Korean literature in translation?
Long story, but I find that I have managed to get myself committed to giving a talk on how Korean literature in translation is received by English-speaking readers. It’s a bit of a tall order. And while I can of course articulate the ways in which I personally am drawn to Korean literature, why I … [Read More]
Festival of Korean Dance 2026 – programme details announced
Here’s the official press release for the 2026 Festival of Korean dance. This year, festival returns to the Tramway in Glasgow, as well as touring to Bournemouth, Salford and Newcastle. A Festival of Korean Dance tours five venues in its ninth year 2025 Olivier Award nominee Young-doo Jung presents a new work inspired by the … [Read More]
When life becomes war: a look at Park Chan-wook’s darkly humorous No Other Choice
Park Chan-wook’s latest offering is, as expected of the legendary director, a dark and morally complex exploration of its subject matter – overtly the state of the contemporary job market, and covertly cycles of generational trauma and violence. It is dark and violent, like many Park Chan-wook films, but also at times deeply funny. [Read More]
For more posts, visit our Featured Content page.
Recent Event updates
Sung Joon: Pop Music in the Gardens
Get ready to enjoy Instagram and TikTok sensation Sung Joon at Pop Music in the Gardens, the ultimate in-person event where great tunes meet fresh air! Bring your friends, soak up the vibes, and enjoy a fantastic lineup of pop hits and original songs in a beautiful outdoor setting. It’s the perfect way to spend … [Read More]
London Hallyu Festival 2026
Get ready to experience Korean culture like never before at the London Hallyu Festival. Across three exciting days, LOHAF brings together the energy of K-pop, the flavours of authentic Korean street food, the creativity of dance and performance, and the richness of traditional culture—all in one place. London Hallyu Festival 2026 will take place from 4 to … [Read More]
Korean soloists at the 2026 BBC Proms
Three Korean soloists perform concertos at this year’s Proms, including Yunchan Lim who opens the festival. 17 July (First Night): Yunchan Lim (piano) Dalia Stasevska and massed BBC forces launch the 2026 season with an American accent. The widescreen vision of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man zooms in to teeming city streets in Gershwin’s … [Read More]
KATSEYE WildWorld tour in UK
KATSEYE are a six‑member global girl group formed through the HYBE x Geffen Records joint project The Debut: Dream Academy. They debuted in 2024 and are positioned as a US‑K‑pop hybrid act, trained under a Korean idol system but built for a global pop market. Today, KATSEYE announced the WILDWORLD TOUR, a headline outing that … [Read More]
Byoung Soo Cho – exhibition at the Coronet Theatre
The Coronet Theatre is proud to present a major exhibition by Byoung Soo Cho, one of Korea’s most influential architects and a quietly radical figure in contemporary art and design. For three decades, Cho has cultivated an international reputation through his practice BCHO Partners, creating buildings that appear at once elemental and deeply human. His collaborations … [Read More]
NCHIVE live in London
NCHIVE are coming to London as part of their 2026 European Tour. Experience an intimate live show with performances, fan interactions, and exclusive event benefits in a limited-capacity venue designed to bring fans closer to the group. Event includes: Live concert performance VIP & fan engagement opportunities Optional selfie add-ons London-exclusive merchandise & photocards This … [Read More]
The above events list includes recent updates to events which might have been uploaded some time ago (eg an update confirming venue or ticket link). A chronological listing of all event notices published, most recent first, can be found here. A list of all upcoming events can be found here.
Recent Book updates
K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry Into Why We Love Korean Television
From the Emmy Award-winning Squid Game to streaming sensations like The Glory and Crash Landing on You, Korean television has emerged onto the global pop culture scene as compelling television—but what exactly makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable? And what can we learn about our societies and ourselves from watching them? From stand-up comedian and media studies PhD Grace Jung … [Read More]
I’ll Love You Forever: Notes from a K-Pop Fan
Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror meets Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings in a meditation that blends memoir and cultural criticism to explore how the author’s love affair with K-pop has shaped her sense of self, charting K-pop’s complex coming-of-age through some of its biggest idols. I’ll Love You Forever: Notes from a K-Pop Fan is a … [Read More]
International Aid and South Korea: Experience from Recipient to Donor
This book explores South Korea’s experience as an aid recipient, as an aid donor, and as an inter‑Korea aid provider. Analysing case studies of international aid both received and dispensed by South Korea, from the end of the Korean War until the present day, this collection provides a novel lens through which to explore South … [Read More]
Snapshots and Soundbites of Korean Culture
Snapshots and Soundbites of Korean Culture takes a novel approach to understanding Korea’s past and present by blending sounds, imagery, texts, and online and printed materials to provide a multisensory, multimodal experience of Korean culture. Each entry showcases vitally important people, objects, places, events, and institutions that help us conceptualise Korean history, society, and culture. The … [Read More]
Body and Ki in GiCheon – Practices of Self-Cultivation in Contemporary Korea
This is the first English language book that studies contemporary practices of self-cultivation in South Korea called ki suryŏn (氣修練 training related to ki – “life energy”), reinvented in modernity similarly to Indian yoga and Chinese qigong. I focus on GiCheon, one of the ki suryŏn practices. By Victoria Ten (Jeon Yeon Hwa) https://www.ergon-shop.de/titel/body-and-ki-in-gicheon-id-89162/ [Read More]
Yuktang Ch’oe Nam-son and Korean Modernity
In Yuktang Ch’oe Nam-son and Korean Modernity, the author traces the steps Ch’oe Nam-son (1890–1957), famed Koreanologist and independence activist, took at the beginning of the twentieth century in order to establish Korean identity as a cultural entity. In Part One of his book, the author reveals the multi-generational involvement of the Ch’oe family in … [Read More]
The above booklist includes recent updates to books which might have been uploaded some time ago (eg an update to reflect a release of cover art, or a new review). A chronological listing of all books uploaded, most recent first, can be found here.