[Features reporter] How far has the Korean wave, 'hallyu,' come in Japan?

In 'The Kulture Wave', we explore Korean culture taking place here in Korea, but also abroad, when we connect to our K-correspondents overseas.

This time, we had our very own News Features reporter Sung-jin, you, flying abroad to show us something new outside of the country for us?

Right, so this year marks the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan normalization of relations, and as this show's name suggests, I wanted to see in what aspects culture was playing a role between the two.

I spent a week in Tokyo to have a look at it myself.

"This year, 2025, marks the 60th anniversary of normalized relations between Korea and Japan. Though historical and social issues remain, 'hallyu,' or the Korean wave, has been a source of soft power. Though none of this is new, just how far have we come? To answer that question, I've spent some time here in Tokyo to see how much Korean culture has been integrated into everyday life."

The beginning of the Korean culture boom in Japan started off with the 2003 drama "Winter Sonata," in which Japanese adoration of the main character Bae Yong-joon, also known as "Yonsama," was notable.

But starting from the second and third wave of Hallyu, it was mostly driven by K-pop stars sweeping the Tokyo Dome and the hearts of numerous fans.

"BTS, Bigbang, Boynextdoor"

"Boynextdoor. First, I liked them for the music, but once I saw the members, I thought they were also very good-looking."

With name shedding stars like Girls Generation and Kara in the late 2000s to BTS and Blackpink in the late 2010s, K-pop brought an influx of new lifestyles including beauty, fashion and food to Japan.

"So this record shop I'm at in Tokyo is the largest of its kind and as you can see, not only does it have an entire floor dedicated to K-pop, but it's also flooded with fans of different artists."

The consistent popularity of K-pop has been apparent for decades, with Japan topping the list of countries in terms of K-pop album export values.

The fourth wave of Hallyu was characterized by something else.

New content beyond K-pop began to evolve, and with the expansion of OTT platforms came a boom in Korean dramas, especially post-COVID-19.

As these continued to garner more popularity, interestingly Japan has absorbed it into a unique form of its own kind.

"Even though it was only aired on Netflix, everyone knew about the drama, and I think it could even be said to have brought a new boom of Korean dramas. There was no reason not to make this into a musical."

Director Mariko was in charge of recreating the popular drama "Crash Landing on You" into a musical, which can only be seen in Japan.

Though the main challenge for her was to create a condensed version of a long drama series, she said Korean dramas are fun to stage and is willing to do another if the chance comes along.

"Even though the musical is in Korean, the audience will read off the subtitles from the side and still enjoy it."

And now, as Tokyo slips into the fifth Hallyu boom, the Japanese public has been attracted to a wider range of cultural elements from Korea.

"Here I am at a local bookstore in Roppongi, and in the international literature section, a wide range of Korean books can easily be spotted, including author Han Kang's well-known novel, 'The Vegetarian.'"

The influence of Korean culture now extends beyond K-pop and K-dramas, stretching into literature, cuisine, and other various forms of Korean content, marking a broader cultural expansion.

And this year's 60th anniversary serves as an opportunity to reflect on the past, and look ahead to the future of the Korea-Japan relationship, considering the changing international landscape and the ongoing challenges.

So join me every Monday to explore the realms of Korean culture in Japan.

Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News, Tokyo.