Hur Shan’s first solo show at Gazelli Art House highlights some interesting new directions in his practice. Hur has always been interested in what lies beneath the surface: his architectural installations hack away at concrete pillars or the plasterwork on a wall to reveal treasures embedded in the underlying fabric: an ancient ceramic or a … [Read More]
Front Page
Five from the archive
A meeting with Sunflower – 해바라기
Anna Lindgren meets with one of the fathers of modern Korean folk music, with special assistance from Jeon Sung-min. A few years ago I came across a stunningly beautiful folk piece. It was called 내마음의 보석상자 and it had been recorded by 해바라기, Sunflower, in 1986. After getting my hands on a couple of Sunflower … [Read More]
LKL’s top 10 K-films of the noughties
Mark Russell led the way with his fascinating list of films of the decade – in which the biggest shock was that there was no Park Chan-wook. GI Korea also has a list, which redresses the balance somewhat. So here is mine. Over the years I’ve been reasonably diligent in giving marks out of 10 … [Read More]
Carter Ekert and others: Korea Old and New
Carter J Eckert / Ki-baik Lee / Young Ick Lew / Michael Robinson / Edward W Wagner (Ilchokak Publishers, for Korea Institute, Harvard University, 1990) An ambitious book which aims in the space of 400 pages to encapsulate Korea’s history from Palaeolithic times up until 1990. In a book of this nature it is inevitable … [Read More]
Korea at the Thames Festival 1 – Jump! and Last For One
By Saharial Looking out at the rather dull day I am having today, it would be hard for me to believe that the weekend was full of summer sunshine if I hadn’t got a little toasted at the Thames Festival on Saturday. After a long walk from St Pancras to Waterloo and then a nice … [Read More]
Recent Posts
Bleak, relatable, daring, humane: how Korean literature emerged from its niche
The following is the text of the talk I submitted to the LTI Korea conference held in Seoul on 1 – 3 July 2026 celebrating their 30th birthday. I am grateful to LTI Korea for the invitation to present, and to those who helped and encouraged me in the preparation. Special thanks go to literary … [Read More]
The LKL Korean Literature in Translation survey: a quick look at the results
A few months ago I asked for your help with preparing for a talk at a conference organised by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea to celebrate their 30th birthday. The brief for my talk was, to quote from the email I received commissioning it, “how Korean literature is received by English-speaking readers — what … [Read More]
July events
Twin highlights this month: BTS’s comeback and Yunchan Lim opening the Proms. Tickets for both are like gold dust. Exhibitions The KCCUK’s summer exhibition, Korean Traditional Painting in Alter-age: Pure and Hybrid, is on all month. Look out for special events associated with the exhibition. Experience Young Huh’s maximalist minhwa interior design style at WOWHouse … [Read More]
In pictures: Icheon and Beyond — The Space Within Form
In the past few years, the potters and other artisans of Icheon have shown off the beauty of their work at the Collect craft fair, in partnership with Han Collection. That arrangement worked well for a few years, but had its limitations. On the one hand, Collect gave them the opportunity to find buyers for … [Read More]
In pictures: Songs beneath the Sacred Tree
It was a huge privilege to be one of the few members of the audience when two leading practitioners of the East Coast Byeolshin Gut tradition displayed their talents in Durham’s music department towards the end of May. Husband and wife team Hong Hyojin and Jung Younrak continue the traditions of the hereditary shaman practice, … [Read More]
K-music Festival 2026: the official press release
Here is the official press release for the 2026 K-music festival, released earlier today. Much to look forward to! Europe’s Largest Korean Music Festival Beyond Genre Boundaries 28 Sep – 23 Nov 2026 From folk traditions and experimental sound art to gaming soundtracks, jazz, hip-hop and indie rock, K-Music Festival returns to showcase the depth, … [Read More]
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Recent Event updates
K-Pop Demon Hunters: Women, Spirits, and Korea’s Occult Traditions
Melanie Hyo-In Han’s illustrated talk explores K-Pop Demon Hunters as a gateway to Korea’s spiritual landscape. The film’s vision of song as sorcery and female warriors battling unseen forces draws directly from musok, Korea’s indigenous shamanic tradition. For centuries, mudang—predominantly women—have worked with spirits through ritual music, dance, and performance to heal, protect, and negotiate … [Read More]
The Feminist Texts We Can’t Read: How Non-Translation Silences East Asian Movements
Join Auto Italia on Wednesday 12th August, 6:30–8:30pm for ‘The Feminist Texts We Can’t Read: How Non-Translation Silences East Asian Movements’, a reading and discussion group with artists Soo Hyun Lee and Riley Tu. This session explores East Asian feminist thought that remains largely unavailable to English-speaking audiences. Drawing on key texts from Japan and … [Read More]
Pilot3: 2026 the First Flight to Europe with Young Posse
Young Posse land in London on 25 October, bringing their off‑beat, hyper‑textured pop to Scala for a one‑night stop on their first European tour. Since debuting under DSP, the group have carved out a niche with their tongue‑in‑cheek aesthetic, quick‑fire choreography and a sound that gleefully bends genre rules. Their Scala appearance is set to …
Sailor Honeymoon: UK tour dates
Sailor Honeymoon began as a spontaneous collaboration born from all-woman jam sessions hosted by photographer Abi Raymaker (장인화) and former DJ Zaeeun Shin (신재은). Their vision was realised in a shared practice room where their noisy, loose improvisation was charged with chemistry, a small act of rebellion in a country where pop culture encourages artists … [Read More]
Tacit Group: Frankentacit, at The Coronet Theatre
One artist. Two AIs. An immersive concert generated in real time. Immersive audio-visual pioneers Tacit Group present FrankenTacit, an experimental algorithmic concert showcasing their spectacular synthesis of sound and visual art. Tacit Group use a fascinating live mix of mathematical coding and computer programming to produce utterly unique and compelling performances. Their algorithmic art has … [Read More]
Boram Kim: Gwantong 18 at The Coronet Theatre
A final solo. A body pushed to its limit. Gwantong – to pierce, penetrate, or pass through 18 – the work’s eighteen-part choreographic structure Raw, exhilarating and deeply personal, Gwantong 18 is a rare chance to encounter one of Korea’s most distinctive dance artists. Acclaimed Korean choreographer and performer Boram Kim, founder of Ambiguous Dance … [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
Death of a Crow
The 1957 publication of this inaugural collection of short stories on the 1948 uprising on Jeju Island was to inform the world of the incident Kim Sok-pom has devoted his writing career to raising awareness of the Jeju April 3 Incident through literature. Death of a Crow (1957) marked the beginning of his campaign; known … [Read More]
Roadkill
An effervescent speculative short story collection by South Korean author Amil for the next generation who crave a fresh perspective. With strong roots in feminist science fiction and fantasy, Roadkill is for the next generation of readers of speculative fiction who love to be transported to different worlds but also crave a fresh perspective. Featuring … [Read More]
Romancing on Jeju
This atmospheric novel about friendship and self-discovery from Korean author Hyun-joo Park buzzes with romance, mystery, and just a hint of danger. Romi is an illustrator and hopeless romantic. When she can’t stop obsessing over a brief encounter with a handsome stranger, there’s just one thing to do: hop on a plane and find him. … [Read More]
Midnight Timetable
From the author and translator of the National Book Award finalist and Booker Prize shortlisted Cursed Bunny, comes a new novel-in-ghost-stories, set in a mysterious research center that houses cursed objects, where those who open the wrong door might find it’s disappeared behind them, or that the echoing footsteps they’re running from are their own… The acclaimed Korean … [Read More]
A Greater Music
Near the beginning of A Greater Music, the narrator, a young Korean writer, falls into an icy river in the Berlin suburbs, where she’s been house-sitting for her on-off boyfriend Joachim. This sets into motion a series of memories that move between the hazily defined present and the period three years ago when she first … [Read More]
North Station
A writer struggles to come to terms with the death of her beloved mentor; the staging of an experimental play goes awry; time freezes for two lovers on a platform, waiting for the train that will take one of them away; a woman living in a foreign country discovers she has been issued the wrong … [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.