- Month-long programme brings together Korean drama, literature and food at venues across London this October

- KCCUK partners with KOCCA and CJ ENM to create new opportunities for Korean content and cultural exchange

Korean drama, literature and food come together across London this October with Curated Korea 2026, a month-long programme exploring the stories, creators and ideas shaping contemporary Korean culture.

Presented by the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK), the programme brings together screenings, author events, conversations with creators and food experiences at venues including Foyles Charing Cross Road, RSA House, The Garden Cinema and Merton Arts Space at Wimbledon Library.

From dramas adapted from webtoons and web novels to contemporary Korean fiction and the culture of Seoul’s pocha, Curated Korea 2026 explores how Korean stories take shape across different creative forms, and the people and ideas behind them.

The programme is also the first major initiative under a new partnership between KCCUK, the UK Business Centre of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), and CJ ENM. The three organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand collaboration around Korean content in the UK, including screenings, industry events, professional exchange and networking.

Korean stories on screen

The screen programme opens at KCCUK on 1 October with a screening and discussion of the TVING Original The Ordinary Jackpot, produced by CJ ENM Studios and Bon Factory.

On 8 October, Study Group, a TVING Original adapted from a webtoon and produced by Studio Dragon, will be screened at Foyles Charing Cross Road. The following evening, 9 October, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, also produced by Studio Dragon, will be screened at RSA House, followed by a conversation with director Chang Tae You.

On 16 October, the programme continues at The Garden Cinema with the TVING Original Dear X, developed by Studio Dragon and produced by Monster Union and Siwoo Company. Adapted from a webtoon, the series is a psychological thriller.

Together, the four events span webtoon and web novel adaptations, school action, historical fantasy and psychological thriller. Each screening is accompanied by a conversation with creators or content industry professionals, offering insight into the stories, creative processes and wider context behind the productions.

Korean literature in conversation

Presented in collaboration with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA), the literature programme brings three Korean authors into conversation with readers across London.

On 10 October at Foyles Charing Cross Road, Kim Cho-yeop, author of If We Cannot Move at the Speed of Light, will discuss her work, which moves between scientific imagination and questions about humanity.

On 15 October, Sohn Won-pyung, author of Almond, will meet readers for a conversation about emotion, empathy and the relationship between the individual and society.

On 17 October, as part of Wimbledon BookFest, Lee Miye, author of The Dallergut Dream Department Store, will appear at Merton Arts Space at Wimbledon Library. The conversation will explore the world of the novel and the ways Korean literature is reaching readers across languages and cultures.

Korea through food, memory and place

Food forms the final strand of Curated Korea 2026, exploring Korean culture through the stories, memories and everyday experiences connected to what people eat and where they gather.

On 21 October at Foyles Charing Cross Road, London-based Korean food writer Su Scott will join Jenny Lau for a conversation around her book Pocha. Guests will have the opportunity to taste dishes featured in the book while discovering the people, places and memories behind Seoul’s pocha culture.

Bringing together food and literature, the event looks beyond cuisine itself to explore food as a way into everyday Korean life, memory and place.

Hyo-keon Park, Director of KCCUK, said: “One of the strengths of Korean content is the way diverse stories continue to evolve and expand into new forms. Through Curated Korea 2026, we hope Korean drama, literature and food will each find new audiences here in different ways, and that this curiosity will open the door to a deeper understanding of Korean culture as a whole.”

As the first joint initiative under the new partnership between KCCUK, KOCCA and CJ ENM, Curated Korea 2026 also marks the beginning of wider collaboration between the three organisations, creating further opportunities for Korean creators and content professionals to connect with audiences and industry counterparts in the UK.