Why are Japanese become Korean Drama Fanatics?

Posted on June 26, 2007 by Nene

When I was in my country I used to watch Korean dramas that were broadcast on television. I became so absorbed with them that even though the drama was broadcast late at night I still watched it regularly. However, my husband is even more absorbed than me with Korean drama. At that time that he had no job yet, he used to watch Korean drama almost everyday and even now in his free time he watches Korean drama. He rents DVDs from Tsutaya Discas, a DVD rental shop. Because there are no English subtitles or caption in the DVD, I can’t watch them.

There was a time that I became angry with my husband because of Korean drama. I was talking to him about something but he did not say any word. I realized he was watching the drama, “All In” starring Lee Byung Hun and Song Hae Gyo, so I told him to stop it and talk to me first. But he continued on watching until I become irritated. In my annoyance, I threw him a pillow to disrupt him. He just stared at me and continued watching the drama. I threw more pillows and started crying so he stopped the drama and faced me. He asked me, “What’s wrong with you?”. I told him because of Korean dramas he didn’t give me attention. Eventually, we reconciled after that scene.

Korean dramas are becoming more popular in Japan. The first drama to be broadcast in Japan was “Winter Sonata” in 2004. It became a big hit and Japanese become more interested in visiting Korea and learning the Korean language.

Many Korean stories have similarities in themes, character development and etc. but the portrayal of morality, virtues, and customs are more appealing to Asian audiences. The actors are good looking and their attire is actually fascinating. However, the main reason why Japanese liked Korean drama very much is that the customs, traditions and sceneries, that are shown in Korean drama setting, are very similar to Japan’s.