By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Emilia Kircheva from Bulgaria
Photos = Emilia Kircheva

London is truly a multicultural city. Just by walking along the streets, you can meet people from numerous nationalities, ethnicities and cultures among its eight million citizens. The Korean culture is, needless to say, well-represented in the city, and during my last visit to London, I followed its traces around the streets.

The Tate Modern is a definite must-see for everyone visiting London. One of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, the Tate holds the national collection of British art from 1900 to the present, as well as international modern and contemporary art. It was the first stop on my stroll around London, and inside I stumbled upon several works of art by Korean artists.

In the exhibit "The Disappearing Figure: Art After Catastrophe," there was a predominantly black painting made of oil paint and burnt vinyl that captured my attention. It was "Death of Sun I" by Kim Ku-lim, the first avant-garde artist from Korea. One of his earliest works, the painting is based on his experience of death while he conducted his mandatory military service and saw many young soldiers lose their lives. Another painting of his with a similar title, "Death of Sun II," is in the collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea.



Under the theme of "media networks," a whole display room is dedicated to Nam June Paik. The Seoul-born artist pioneered the use of televisual electronic media in art and is considered the father of video art. Through his work, Paik explored the widening reach of media in his large-scale video installations, and in the room dedicated to him at the Tate Modern visitors are able to do the same while observing several pieces made by him. Among them are the "Bakelite Robot," a humanoid robot constructed from nine vintage Bakelite radios, and "Victrola," a wooden cabinet painted with abstract shapes that has an integrated gramophone. It lies underneath a plasma screen showing a video in which Nam June Paik breaks a vinyl record.

My next stop was the famous Trafalgar Square, the largest square in London, often considered the heart of the city. Within a short walking distance from the square, I found the Korean Cultural Center in the U.K. Situated in a beautiful building, the center stretches across two floors. On the ground floor, there's a multi-purpose hall, an art gallery space and a luxurious reception hall. At the time of my visit, the gallery showcased the "Winter Wonders of PyeongChang" exhibition in celebration of the Olympic spirit and the strong friendship between the U.K. and Korea.

On the lower ground floor is the library and a small space for reading, as well as a seminar room in which different types of educational events like language courses and a K-pop Academy, take place. The Korean Cultural Center in the U.K. also organizes all kinds of events throughout the whole year, such as Korean Literature Night, a monthly discussion group that explores a specially chosen book of the month, film screenings, concerts and more.





As I mentioned before, London is an eclectic mix of cultures and, naturally, this results in a very wide variety of international cuisines represented all around you. I was curious if somewhere near me there was a Korean restaurant, and a quick search showed that there were as many as 20 within a short walking distance of me.

The one that appealed to me the most was Kimchee To Go. Its stylish wooden interior and diverse menu seemed great. I got some noodles with tofu, kimchi and a cup of delightful plum tea. Although the name of the restaurant suggests the food is mainly “to go,” I enjoyed very much eating my meal at the restaurant.

Conveniently, Chinatown happens to also be close so I stopped by. There, I found a lot of grocery stores with products not only from China, but also from all across Northeast Asia. The products from Korea were mainly different types of instant noodles, but here and there some alcohol and other products could also be found.

In the evening I found myself at another significant London square, Piccadilly Circus, particularly known as London's version of Times Square in New York, for its video display mounted on the corner building on the northern side. On that same video display, I saw an advertisement in support of the U.K. team at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

These are the bits of Korea that I found in London simply by walking around, but I'm sure they're just an extremely small part of all there is to see. Many aspects of modern Korean blend perfectly well into the colorful scenery of London.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.