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.’