K-Music Festival 2026: Korean Games in Concert brings Korean game music into the concert hall at the Southbank Centre on 11 October. Performed by the National Gugak Center Orchestra, the programme reimagines soundtrack themes from Black Desert, Lies of P and other Korean games through traditional instruments, orchestral textures and visuals inspired by Seoul and Gyeongbokgung Palace.

In 2026 Korea, MZs are ditching cakes for traditional desserts like yakgwa. Once a formal holiday treat, this honey‑soaked pastry is now a newtro café star. Discover its Joseon roots, modern twists, and where to find it in London.

Beyond the colourful hanbok familiar today lies Korea’s long tradition of wearing white. Explore the history, symbolism and changing meaning behind the ‘white-clad people’ of Korea.

Gochujang is often called the “red heart” of Korean cooking – a deep, fermented chilli paste that brings heat, sweetness, saltiness and umami to one spoonful. From bibimbap and tteokbokki to stews, fried chicken and cold noodles, it quietly holds Korean dishes together, and is now turning up on tables from New Malden to kitchens across London.

Explores the Korean artist’s poetic practice of translating classical forms, fragility, and memory into sculptural language.

Mother-of-pearl inlay, known in Korean as najeonchilgi, is one of Korea’s most distinctive traditional crafts, combining lacquer, shell, and centuries of craftsmanship.

That balance between object and meaning is what gives chaekgeori its appeal. It is a still life, certainly, but one that speaks gently about values, taste, and the shape of an ordered life.

If glittering choreography and lightsticks feel too bright, Korean indie offers another way in. For listeners who want to understand Korea at walking pace — through basement clubs, independent record shops, and artists who sing about ordinary life — this is a good place to start. Korean indie has more in common with Manchester’s Northern Quarter or London’s Hackney than you might expect. From Hongdae’s smoky venues to Spotify’s global playlists, discover Hyukoh, Jannabi, Can’