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About half of the Japanese viewers who regularly tune in to Korean soap opera, "Winter Sonata," said that it acted as a bridge to experience Korean culture, with just over one quarter of respondents claiming that it changed their opinion of the country, reported Japanese media Saturday.
Surveys conducted by the media showed that 38 percent of the adult population had watched the popular TV drama at some stage.
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Japanese fans strain to reach out to Korean actor Bae Yong-jun as he makes a guest appearance at the 25th Blue Dragon Film Awards in Seoul on Nov. 19. /Yonhap
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The NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute conducted a survey on 2,200 people in September, and analyzed the answers of 1,289 respondents. Among them, 38 percent answered "yes" to having watched "Winter Sonata" and of them, half were encouraged to take an interest in other elements of Korean culture.
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Japanese fans smile while holding a copy of the Chosun Ilbo featuring an interview with Korean heart-throb Bae Yong-jun at a film award ceremony last month.
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The channels through which they expanded their interest in the "Korean Wave" were, in the order of popularity, watching other Korean soap operas and movies, reading Korea-related books and magazines, and eating Korean food.
Two percent responded that "Winter Sonata" acted as a catalyst for them to learn Korean language, while the same number had been inspired to make a trip to the country after viewing the program. These figures suggest that Korea's current trendiness overseas and especially in Japan is not only limited to popular TV dramas, but is having a more profound effect in changing the nation's image abroad.
Twenty-six percent of those surveyed answered that their image of Korea had recently changed, while 22 percent expressed a greater interest in Korean culture than before.
An official at the research institute said that the increasing interest in Korean culture is a widespread phenomenon that has affected the general Japanese public. Japanese media quoted him as saying that, "'Winter Sonata' would be the only drama since 'Osing' that had such a huge influence on Japanese society."
(Choi Heup, pot@chosun.com )
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