Young Koreans Love Japanese Pop Culture

Japan’s praise of Yasukuni Shrine and its refusal to apologize for its wartime past have soured Korean and Japanese relationships. Furthermore, Koreans in Japan are treated as second class citizens and are practically excluded from voting due to family-based voting laws. In spite of this, some believe that relations can be eased through young Koreans’ obsession with Japanese pop culture.

Korea’s love for Japanese culture is evident. For instance, Author Kenichi Yamada states that two of the top selling books in Korean bookstores are written by Japanese authors. In addition, over 7.14 million Koreans visited Japan in 2017, second in number only to China and the number is expected to surpass China this year. One Japanese language teacher in Korea recounts that Japanese classes are becoming more and more popular among those in their 20s and 30s.

Although the article brings up a host of examples of Japanese interest, I don’t think that tensions between Korea and Japanese will ease anytime soon. Anti-Japanese sentiment runs deep in Korean families and teaching, which influences younger generations. Even though the WW2 generation is aging, it’s difficult to tell what younger Korean people think of their countries relationship with Japan without any surveys or data.