JYP’s self‑producing rock band Xdinary Heroes bring their high‑octane The New Xcene tour to the UK this spring, with dates at Manchester Academy on 31 May and London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on 2 June 2026.

Since their 2021 debut, the six‑member group — Gunil, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon — have carved out a distinctive space in Korea’s band landscape, pairing technical musicianship with a theatrical, lore‑driven approach to performance. Their recent releases push further into hybrid rock, electronic textures and tightly engineered ensemble work, underscoring the group’s ambition to redefine what an idol‑band can sound like.

The UK stops promise a setlist that moves between explosive, riff‑driven tracks and the more intricate, genre‑bending material that has earned Xdinary Heroes a growing international following. For audiences interested in the current evolution of Korea’s band scene — and in the emergence of groups operating confidently outside the pop mainstream — these shows offer a rare chance to see XH’s live energy at close range.

South Korean indie‑pop band The Rose return to London this summer with their Rosetopia world tour, bringing their signature blend of anthemic rock, lyrical introspection and stadium‑scale warmth to the Eventim Apollo on 30 June 2026.

Formed in 2017 and now firmly established as one of Korea’s most globally recognised self‑producing bands, The Rose — Woosung, Dojoon, Hajoon and Jaehyeong — have built a devoted international following through their emotionally charged songwriting and meticulously crafted live sound. Their recent releases continue to expand the band’s palette, weaving acoustic intimacy with soaring, cathartic choruses.

The Rosetopia tour promises a full‑band set drawing from across their discography, including fan favourites and newer material shaped by the group’s evolving creative independence. London audiences can expect a show that balances musical precision with the communal, heart‑on‑sleeve energy that has become The Rose’s hallmark.

For UK fans of Korean alternative and band‑driven music, this one‑night stop at the Apollo offers a rare chance to experience The Rose at the height of their international momentum.

With over 1 billion streams worldwide, WOODZ has firmly established himself as one of the most compelling voices in modern Korean alternative rock. Anthems including ‘Drowning’, ‘AMNESIA’, ‘I Hate You’, ‘Love Me Harder’, and ‘Sun or Suck’ alone have amassed over 500 million streams, cementing his reputation as one of the genre’s most celebrated names. Following his sold-out 2023 world tour, WOODZ achieved an extraordinary milestone during his Korean military service as Drowning rose to #1 on the music charts.

Now, the endless drowning rain finally comes to an end for MOODZ. Spring returns as WOODZ makes his long-awaited debut full album＇Archive. 1＇, and reunites with fans across the world. Prepare to fall in love once again as WOODZ takes the stage with electrifying energy!

El Capitxn is the stage/producer name of Jang Yi‑jeong (장이정) — a South Korean singer‑songwriter, producer, and DJ, formerly the main vocalist and maknae of the boy group HISTORY. Today he is one of the most in‑demand producers in K‑pop, with credits across BTS, TXT, IU, aespa, ZEROBASEONE, PLAVE, and many more. He is coming to London for a special concert + fan experience. This will be an intimate, limited-capacity show — designed to bring you closer than ever.

ONE PACT (원팩트) is a 5-member K-pop boy group under Armada Entertainment, composed of Jongwoo, Jay Chang, Seongmin, TAG, and Yedam. The members first captured fans’ attention through their standout performances and high rankings on the hit survival show Boys Planet, where their talent and charisma resonated widely.

Their most recent release is the first EP-album 1’ONLY, which dropped on February 26, 2026 and features five tracks, including the title song “SANE”. Throughout the album, they capture raw emotions and unfiltered attitudes with striking honesty, documenting their sound without compromise.

TAG contributes as the group’s main producer, and every member plays a crucial part in songwriting, composition, and concept planning—demonstrating their growth as artists and self produced idols.

Wednesday 27 May: a lecture-concert exploring the thrilling song, dance and rhythms of South Korea’s East Coast hereditary shaman tradition, featuring two leading ritualists (officially recognised as Cultural Assets 82-1) together with Prof. Simon Mills.

Still today, some of the fishing communities scattered along South Korea’s eastern coastline maintain their tradition of hiring a hereditary shaman troupe to perform Byeolshin Gut (literally, “Special God Shaman Ritual”). Over the course of several days – or, sometimes, even longer – the ritualists perform a rich array of songs, dances, stories, prayers, and ritual actions, accompanied by janggu (hourglass drum), kkwaenggwari (small handheld gong), and jing (large gong). At the core of their activities lies an ambitious goal: reestablishing a state of harmony between all gods and all people.

One of the most important ritual sections in Byeolshin Gut is that addressing the community’s guardian deity, Golmegi. For this section, the shaman troupe performs beneath the community’s sacred tree – the Seonghwang Tree – detailing how the gods created the seas, mountains, animals, and more during the mythical times, and praying for a return to harmony. Here, the tree itself serves as the central axis of communication between gods and humans, a place of shelter for all, and the community’s living heart, where memories and hopes are gathered.

This lecture-concert explores the thrilling music of the East Coast shaman tradition and investigates the worldview running through the “Songs beneath the Sacred Tree”. The event centres on performances by two senior ritualists from the tradition (both officially recognised as Cultural Assets 82-1). In line with tradition, they are a wife-and-husband pair – Hong Hyojin singing, dancing and playing hand-gong, while Jung Younrak accompanies her on drum. Prof. Simon Mills, who has studied this tradition for over 25 years, provides explanation.

Please note: from 1pm to 3pm on Thursday 28 May, Hong and Jung will be leading a FREE workshop in the Oriental Museum, showing how to make the beautiful paper flowers that adorn the ritual space – another celebrated aspect of their tradition. (Prior booking is essential: please visit the Musuem’s website for details.)

Classical violinist and crossover artist Danny Koo returns to England with a wide range of genres and venues.

Danny Koo Live at Sunset

Sunday 10 May 2026, 8:30pm – 9pm
Brighton i360 | £30 including a glass of bubbles | Book tickets

A truly one of a kind performance from internationally acclaimed violinist Danny Koo, live aboard a sunset flight on the Brighton i360. Known for his electrifying blend of classical mastery and contemporary style, Danny Koo is a Korean-American virtuoso who has captivated audiences across the globe. This May, he takes his music to new heights.

A Concert Above the Coastline. As the sun dips below the horizon, rise high above the Brighton coastline for an unforgettable live performance where golden hour meets world-class music. With panoramic views stretching across sea and sky, this intimate sunset flight becomes the stage for a moment you’ll remember long after the last note fades.

Danny Koo: Favourite Things

Monday 11 May 2026, 6.30pm – 8pm (approx)
Brasserie Zedel | £30 | Book tickets

Danny is an outstanding talent who blends effortless vocals with mastery of the violin. A total cross between Michael Buble and Nigel Kennedy.

This intimate cabaret performance takes in great jazz standards and contemporary classics to fully showcase his skill and versatility. Already a major star in Asia and beyond, come and discover his huge appeal first hand at this special one off show at Crazy Coqs and hear everything from All Of Me and Autumn Leaves to Just The Two Of Us and An Englishman In New York and many more like you’ve never heard them before.

Orion Orchestra: From Vienna to Broadway

Thursday 14 May 2026, 7.30pm
Cadogan Hall | £15.00 to £40.00 | Book tickets

Programme:
Gershwin Cuban Overture
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E flat major, K.364
Gershwin Porgy and Bess: Symphonic Fantasy
Bernstein West Side Story Suite

Rob Rinder presents Orion Orchestra with Meghan Cassidy and Danny Koo

Saturday 16th May 2026 at 7pm
Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall | £20 | Book tickets

Programme:
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante
Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Sung Im Her looks at the impact of (social) media on society as it focuses on oversharing, over-saturation and the bombardment of information.

The work plays with the fun aspects of challenges, memes, skits and all manner of ‘entertaining content’ that is shared on these platforms, but counters this with the realities behind the facade. These darker undertones include an unending multitude of opinions, alternative truths and conspiracy theories, which help create confusion, anxiety and perpetuate the unease and precarity faced in society.

Performed on a stage, where the starkness of its raw form is highlighted with only designed lighting and club like sounds composed by musical duo Husk Husk filling the space, three dancers perform overly produced gestures, as they move between their independent selves, into a shared entanglement and back again, blurring the lines of their individual and collective identities.

This show is a part of caravan assembly, a three-day event that presents contemporary performance made in England to an audience of international programmers and collaborators. The performances are open to the public as part of Brighton Festival and sit alongside a series of industry conversations and discussions for those participating in the assembly. Caravan assembly is delivered by Farnham Maltings in partnership with Brighton Festival.

Photo credit: Foteini Christofilopoulou

Four Korea-related exhibitions are taking place as part of London Craft Week. You already know about the first two:

1. Icheon and Beyond — The Space Within Form

… already installed at the Korean Cultural Centre.

2. Cherry Blossom Project

Opening at the Garden Museum on 28 April. And the other two:

3. Origin of Materials, by Soluna Fine Craft

Exhibition: 8 May 2026 – 17 May 2026, 11:00 – 19:00
Venue: St George Street Gallery | 31, Saint George Street | Mayfair, W1S 2FJ | Details on London Craft Week website

A related curatorial talk will take place at the gallery, 11 May 2026, 17:00 – 18:00. Details (including registration requirements) here.

Soluna Fine Craft, the craft label of Soluna Art Group, presents a curated selection of works that foreground the aesthetic sensibilities and material experimentation shaping contemporary Korean craft. Working across a range of materials, the artists explore a universal visual language while maintaining a distinctly Korean perspective attuned to the present moment.

This year marks Soluna Art Group’s fourth participation in the festival. The exhibition will be held at St George Street Gallery in the heart of Mayfair, running from 8–17 May. Participating artists include Kyouhong Lee (glass), Woosun Cheon (metal), Choi Keeryong (glass), Dahye Jeong (horsehair), and Yaerin Pyun (ceramics), presented alongside emerging artists newly introduced to London audiences.

Titled Origin of Materials, the exhibition proposes that the origin of materiality lies not in the substance itself, but in the artist. The ways in which materials are handled, and the time devoted to bringing each work into being, reflect the environments in which artists live and the attitudes that inform their practice. Materiality therefore arises not solely from the inherent properties of clay, glass, or metal, but from the depth of thought and sensibility brought to them. Through this process, a subtle sense of Korean identity emerges, shaped by lived experience and cultural context.

Alongside the exhibition, this year’s programme will also explore new and engaging dialogues through collaborations with fashion and design, opening further conversations around material, form, and contemporary craft, ultimately suggesting that materiality is not simply a matter of substance, but of thought.

4. Tabled – One of a Kind Edition x eba Marylebone

Exhibition: 11 May 2026 – 16 May 2026, 09:00 – 18:00
Private View: 12 May 2026, 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: eba Marylebone | 28 Wigmore Street | London W1U 2RN
Details on London Craft Week website

One of a Kind Edition, a platform dedicated to celebrating craftsmanship and its creators, unveils its inaugural exhibition. The exhibition showcases exceptional contemporary craft artists and designers from South Korea, featuring specially curated objects brought to London Craft Week.

This edition presents all artworks as part of a theme of shared meal, elegantly arranged across a single, expansive table where everyday objects transform into sculptural, symbolic, and ritualistic elements.

By displaying the artworks on the surface of a dining table, the inaugural edition blurs the distinction between functionality and aesthetics, inviting collectors to engage with each piece through the intimate lens of dining.

The exhibition includes:
Metalworks – Studio Yeodong Yun
Glasswork – OU Glasswork by Hye Yeon Yoo
Glasswork – Multeo Yaiji Kim & Sansjun Choi
Ceramic – Kimkim Studio by Jihyun Kim
Woodworks – Yezi Lee
Textiles – Limn Seoul by Sooyon Kim

In collaboration with eba Marylebone, this inaugural edition will be showcased in their exquisite showroom, alongside their newly introduced collection of dining tables.

The acclaimed Ceramic Art London fair, now in its 22nd year, returns to Olympia West from Friday 8 – Sunday 10 May 2026, (with a private view by invitation only, on Thursday 7 May). Hugely respected in the contemporary ceramics world, and always oversubscribed, it is Europe’s leading showcase for makers to sell their work.

This year’s fair saw over 300 applications from 27 countries with 125 makers chosen through a rigorous selection process to exhibit. 25% are new for 2026. Over 5000 visitors attend the event from over 30 countries. There is a talks programme running on every day of the fair.

The fair is curated by the Craft Potters Association and has an extraordinary range of work on sale, priced from £30 to over £10,000 for collectors’ pieces. Exhibitors come from as far afield as Japan, Korea, Canada and the USA as well as across Europe. Fair Director, Simon Harrison said of the event: “Ceramic Art London is an inspirational show for everyone from enthusiasts to high level collectors and museum curators. It has a truly international feel and the diversity of the pieces for sale is as broad as the countries which inspire them.”

There are 14 Korean makers exhibiting:

Jaeho Cho

Jaeho Cho’s tea bowl ultimately creates a blossoming flower-like appearance, which he called his “Gaehwamun” (flower-patterned tea bowl). At first glance, it resembles a modern abstract painting, while at other times, it resembles a traditional pattern, yet it also conveys a warm, textured feel.

Ultimately, Jaeho’s tea bowls possess a subtle beauty, combining austere forms with vibrant colours.

Soyeon Gim

Soyeon Gim is a Seoul-based ceramic artist who explores the potential of clay through a material-driven approach. Working primarily with wheel-throwing, she focuses on the experiential qualities of objects — form, weight, and texture — rather than function. By combining wheel-throwing with hand-carving, she develops forms that move away from symmetry. The resulting works take shape as sculptural objects intended to be experienced by hand, inviting both visual and tactile engagement and narrowing the distance between the viewer and the work.

Jaeeun Kim

Jaeeun Kim creates distinctive slip-cast ceramics that merge functional form with painterly surface decoration. Influenced by her studies in Korea, she often begins by recalling her way back home from school, capturing skies, trees, and shifting scenery. These memories become abstract expressions layered in underglaze, blending colour and gesture. Her work also draws on art therapy concepts, with recurring motifs of houses, trees, and people reflecting inner states. Each piece balances thoughtful design with expressive surfaces, inviting reflection on memory, place, and the emotional landscape of everyday life.

Jihyun Kim

Jihyun Kim is a Seoul-born ceramic artist whose practice explores the intersections of Korean folklore, ritual, and contemporary design. A graduate of the Royal College of Art (MA Ceramics & Glass, 2023), she creates functional-sculptural ceramics that embody traditions of protection, sanctuary, and storytelling. Exhibited internationally at the British Ceramics Biennial, Milan Design Week, and London Design Festival, Jihyun’s vividly colored works invite viewers into a symbolic realm of sanctuary.

Jin Eui Kim

Jin Eui’s work explores how form, shade, and texture in ceramic art can be manipulated to transform visual perception. Using tonal bands and clay block arrangements, he creates spatial illusions that blur the line between reality and appearance. By selectively omitting or altering surface details, he invites viewers to experience shifting perceptions, allowing them to toggle between the real and the illusory. When observed under specific conditions – half-closed eyes, dim light, or from a distance – the illusions become more vivid. This interaction creates an immersive journey, challenging viewers to question their own perception and the boundaries of reality.

Sung Jin Kim

Sung Jin is an artist with a background in ceramics and design, creating works that merge everyday observations with personal artistry. His practice captures the free-spirited and spontaneous energy of graffiti through ceramics, where each piece carries its own meaning and can be reconfigured to shift the atmosphere and form of the work. Beyond material exploration, Sung Jin weaves his personal narrative into his creations, using them as a medium to communicate layered messages that connect with viewers on both visual and emotional levels.

Sun Kim

Sun Kim is a Korean ceramicist raised in Brazil.

She received her first BA in Fine Arts and continued her ceramics studies in the United States, where she earned a second BA from Alfred University. In 2004, Sun moved to the UK to begin a studio assistantship with Edmund de Waal. Since 2007, her own practice has been based in South London.

Sun Kim explores both traditional and contemporary aesthetics in her work, producing a range of functional ware with a distinct visual language. The making process is a continual challenge – an ongoing investigation into form, shape, and volume.

Miae Kim

Miae explores the dialogue between East and West, blending traditional Korean aesthetics with modern minimalist design. Inspired by motifs such as palace walls, temple roof tiles, hanok door trim, and the graceful forms of Hangul, she transforms language into both visual and narrative art. Rooted in a childhood shaped by Korean literature and design, her practice tells layered stories that bridge history, memory, and place. Through each work, Miae invites quiet reflection and a sense of connection-linking cultures, past and present, and people with the materials that surround everyday life.

Jaejun Lee

In 2016, Jaejun Lee travelled from Korea to London to participate in Ceramic Art London. That’s where his journey began, and he eventually settled in the UK. Now, in his final year as a UK-based artist, Jaejun hopes to find a sense of closure where it all began.

CAL has always been a special opportunity for him to share new work, and each year he has tried to present a new series with a fresh display. This year, Jaejun is showing a new series, “Unclothed,” hoping it will once again lead him toward a new direction, as it always has.

Hajeong Rogers

Currently focusing her making predominantly on functional ware, Hajeong Lee Rogers fuses traditional Korean Buncheong techniques, using inlaid white slip and a dark clay, with patterns influenced by William Morris. Hajeong is trying to find harmony between Korean tradition and the West. She also loves the idea of her pots being used everyday unlike a sculpture she made in the past, which is entirely decorative or made to convey a message. She feels that by using her pots they became a familiar and comforting feature of a person’s life.

SaeRi Seo

SaeRi Seo explores ‘Good Child Syndrome,’ rooted in her traditional Korean Confucian upbringing and gender-based expectations. By deconstructing the Moon Jar – a symbol of perfection and virtue – she liberates herself from past constraints. This destruction is a transformative turning point, not an end. Within the fragments, she meticulously crafts blooming irises, symbolizing hope and resilience. Her practice transcends mere reconstruction; it is a testament to healing and self-discovery. Through the interplay of void and form, Seo visualises the internal conflict between societal pressure and individual identity, celebrating the inherent strength found in becoming whole again.

Yunji Shin

Yunji Shin is a South Korea-based ceramic designer-maker, working primarily with slip casting techniques, using modular moulds like building blocks to create playful yet structured forms. Recently, Yunji’s practice has focused on evoking a sense of childhood nostalgia inspired by the animations many of us grew up watching, resulting in works that explore whimsical boundaries through quirky forms in which diverse cultural identities interweave.

In Ho Song

Song’s work expresses imaginary animals.

First, he moulds rough shapes of various animals using handbuilding techniques.

And then, he draws imaginary animals on them, just like drawing on a canvas.

This work’s motif is a Korean traditional funerary figure, Kkokdu.

Kkokdu is a witty human-shaped wooden figure, which is known as to take a role in sharing the happiness with the passed ones and relieving their sorrows, coming and going between this world and the next world.

Song reconstituted the Kkokdu with imaginary animals instead of human characters.

Shinhye You

Shinhye You is a ceramic artist born in South Korea and based in London. Shinhye crafts written fiction rooted in magical realism, translating it into visual forms with clay as her primary medium. Her ceramic pieces serve as tangible remnants of her imagined worlds, evidence of human lives and magical creatures that once existed. Emerging after the death of their fictional inhabitants, these works stand as empty vessels, echoes of a bygone existence. Through these pieces, Shinhye explores the afterlife of once-living beings, capturing the residue of human presence and perished beliefs in a delicate interplay between reality and imagination.

This paper analyses the political dimensions of Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land (Mongyudowondo, 夢遊桃源圖, 1447) through the lens of art and power. The fifteenth century was Joseon’s Renaissance: under the reign of King Sejong, the court became a centre of extraordinary cultural flourishing. Yet the transfer of power following Sejong’s death was convulsive. This paper examines how, at the heart of that turbulence, the political convictions of the Joseon elite found expression in the language of art.

In 1447, the painter Ahn Gyeon rendered a dream. Prince Anpyeong — third son of King Sejong, patron of scholars, and rival to power — described a nocturnal vision of the Peach Blossom Land, and Ahn Gyeon painted it in a single night. The result is among the most celebrated works in the history of Korean painting. It is also one of the most politically charged.

The paper focuses on the twenty-one colophons appended to the original scroll, composed by the scholars, poets, and officials who formed Prince Anpyeong’s cultural circle. I argue that Mongyudowondo functioned not merely as a painting but as a site of political exchange — a space in which allegiance was declared, and solidarity inscribed. The Peach Blossom Land, originating in Tao Yuanming’s fourth-century prose poem, had long circulated among the Joseon elite as a legible political idiom. To appreciate the painting, to add one’s calligraphy to the scroll, was to make a statement of political affiliation — one that carried, as events would prove, mortal consequences.

Six years after the painting was completed, Prince Suyang staged the Gyeyujeongnan coup of 1453, seized power, and had Prince Anpyeong exiled and executed. The scholars whose calligraphy graces the scroll were arrested, purged, or silenced. The scroll itself eventually left Korea. It now resides at Tenri University in Japan.

The paper traces this movement from dream to execution, asking what it means that the most sustained Joseon meditation on the ideal landscape was produced within — and destroyed by — the violence of dynastic politics. In doing so, it illuminates the relationship between aesthetic vision and political vulnerability in the early Joseon court: a world in which to imagine otherwise was, at once, an act of culture and an act of risk.

Dr Seunghye Sun FRSA is Director of the Korean Cultural Centre UK and a scholar of Korean visual culture, cultural diplomacy, and the intersection of heritage and contemporary practice. She holds a Master’s degree in Aesthetics from Seoul National University, a PhD in Art History from the University of Tokyo, and was a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard-Yenching Institute. She has held positions at the National Museum of Korea, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Seoul Museum of Art, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and has taught at Sungkyunkwan University and Ewha Womans University. Her curatorial and research practice spans early Joseon painting, K-Soft Power, and AI-mediated heritage interpretation.