심선아
| 2025-08-13 07:10:00
(News Focus) Liberation Day-culture
(News Focus) S. Korea-Japan cultural ties enter mature phase after 80 yrs of liberation
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- As South Korea marks the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Japan's colonial rule, culture remains the most enduring bridge between the two nations, even as historical and political disputes persist.
The cultural corridor linking Seoul and Tokyo has continued to widen, fueled by a shared appetite for each other's pop culture.
What began as a one-way Korean Wave or "hallyu" in the early 2000s has become a two-way current, amplified by global streaming platforms -- Korean music, dramas, and films draw steady audiences in Japan, while Japanese animation, music, and co-productions are winning fans in Korea.
In Japan, younger generations, particularly Gen Z, show strong interest in K-pop idol groups, Korean dramas, beauty trends, and fashion. They actively share and consume Korean culture through social media, helping to strengthen grassroots exchanges between the two neighbors.
The first major crest of hallyu in Japan is often traced back to 2003, when the Korean TV drama "Winter Sonata" aired on a channel affiliated with NHK and later on the national broadcaster. The series not only became a national sensation but also made its lead actor, Bae Yong-joon -- nicknamed "Yonsama" by devoted fans -- an enduring cultural figure.
Before that, Korean exports such as the blockbuster film "Shiri" and K-pop star BoA had made inroads in Japan. But it was "Winter Sonata" that ignited a genuine cultural phenomenon, sparking a wave of fan tourism, merchandise sales, and sustained media interest.
Following its success, Korean dramas like "Dae Jang Geum," "You're Beautiful," "Descendants of the Sun," and "My Love from the Star" built a dedicated Japanese fan base. Initially popular among women in their 50s and older, Korean dramas eventually attracted younger and more diverse audiences -- especially after "Crash Landing on You" streamed on Netflix in 2020, breaking generational barriers.
By the late 2000s, the torch of hallyu had passed to K-pop, with artists like TVXQ, SHINee, Girls' Generation, Kara, and BIGBANG taking the stage in Japan and performing to sold-out crowds, including landmark concerts at Tokyo Dome. This period cemented pop culture as a key driver of people-to-people exchanges, transcending the ebbs and flows of official diplomacy.
The momentum of cultural exchanges slowed in 2012 as bilateral ties soured following then South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Dokdo, a set of rocky South Korean islets also claimed by Japan. However, devoted Japanese fans continued to support Korean content, in contrast to China, where political tensions over South Korea's deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system led to a suspension of Korean entertainment imports.
"Japan, along with the Chinese-speaking world, has a long history of consuming diverse Korean content. While the market is not easy for non-Western cultures to penetrate, its fandom tends to remain loyal once a cultural product gains a foothold," said Lee Gyu-tag, a professor at George Mason University-Korea. "Unlike China, Japan tends to separate cultural interests from political issues, which has allowed Korean content to maintain its foothold."
The third generation of K-pop groups, led by TWICE and BTS, brought a renewed surge, selling out Tokyo Dome concerts and topping domestic charts.
BTS, in particular, became the top-selling act in Japan in 2021 and 2022, outperforming Japanese artists.
While Korean pop culture has enjoyed decades of popularity in Japan, the country's cultural content has only gained significant traction in South Korea in more recent years.
Seoul began lifting restrictions on Japanese cultural imports in 1998 under then President Kim Dae-jung, gradually allowing access to Japanese films, comics, and music in the years that followed.
Early concerns that Japanese pop culture would swamp South Korea's domestic industries have faded, eased by the nation's economic growth and the global ascent of Korean content.
In recent years, Japanese animation and music have gained traction in South Korea.
Animated films like "The First Slam Dunk" and "Suzume" drew large audiences in 2023, while J-pop acts such as YOASOBI, Aimyon and imase are seeing increased popularity. As their songs found success in Korea, J-pop heavyweights, including Gen Hoshino, Mrs. Green Apple, Sekai No Owari, Ado and King Gnu, have either held or are scheduled to hold concerts in the country.
A growing number of Japanese performers have also joined K-pop groups. They include TWICE members Mina, Sana and Momo, and Le Sserafim's Sakura and Kazuha.
In the drama scene, cross-border collaborations are rising.
Most recently, Korean actor Chae Jong-hyeop starred in the Japanese drama "Eye Love You." The upcoming Japanese original Netflix series "Chocolate Romance" will feature Korean and Japanese leads and a joint production crew.
"The Japanese drama market is highly familiar with Korean dramas and feels little emotional distance from them," said an official at Studio Dragon, a leading Korean drama studio. "Both broadcasters and streaming platforms in Japan are showing growing interest in localizing our intellectual property."
Lim Hee-yoon, a South Korean music critic, gave a positive outlook on future cultural exchanges between the two countries.
"The main obstacles to consuming Japanese culture were national policy, public sentiment, and a sense of cultural inferiority toward Japan," he said. "With the first two now resolved, and thanks to Korea's economic growth and the spread of hallyu, that sense of inferiority has turned into confidence. Going forward, cultural exchanges between Korea and Japan will continue to grow, and there will be even more new discoveries about each other."
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