Japanese Women and Korean Dramas

  From ‘Yonsama’ Bae Yong Jun of 2003 to ‘Keun-chan’ Jang Keun Suk of 2012, there seems to be no end to the Korean wave flowing across Japan. What is it about Korean dramas that make Japanese women fall for them?

  On May 7, News Post Seven, a Japanese media outlet, revealed the workings of the Korean wave in Japan under the title ‘Of the Gallant Experiences of Three Women Crazy for Korean Dramas’.

  The article talks about a woman who has been into the Korean wave for 10 years, a woman who went from anti-Korean-wave to a Korean drama fan and another who almost broke off her marriage because she loved JYJ’s Park Yoo Chun so much.

  The first woman, who is in her 40s, first got into the Korean wave through Winter Sonata, and continued to fall for Lee Byung Hun, Kwon Sang Woo and Song Seung Hun. She especially once couldn’t seem to tell the difference between the drama world and reality, as she thought as soon as she saw the film A Moment to Remember, that Jung Woo Sung would be the last man in her life. She started learning the Korean language because of her obsession, and has been attending a Korean language institute for five years.

  The next woman, in her early 40s, confessed that she was part of the anti-Korean wave ideologies, saying she ‘didn’t know how people who fell for Korean dramas felt.’ While watching the Japanese version of You’re Beautiful, however, she came upon the Korean version, and fell in love with Jang Keun Suk. She didn’t stop there; there was no escaping the grasp of Korean dramas. While watching Mary Stayed Out All Night she fell in love with Kim Jae Wook, and while looking for more pieces starring Kim Jae Wook, she came upon Coffee Prince and so on and so forth.

  The last female almost broke off her marriage because of the Korean wave. This woman, in her early 30s, said, ‘I was a fan of JYJ’s Park Yoo Chun, but I fell in love with him even more after watching the drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I was engaged to my husband back then, but because I loved Yoo Chun so much, I couldn’t think of getting married.’ Her story ended in a happy ending, however, as she added, ‘Thanks to my tolerant husband I was wed, and now I’m happy as Yoo Chun’s fan and also as a wife.’