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A fresh onslaught of Japanese pop culture is taking place. From music, comics and animated films to movies, TV dramas and novels, translations or adaptations of Japanese works are seeing explosive sales. The popular TV drama "White Tower" is based on a Japanese TV drama and the movie "Secret of The Beauty", which drew 6.6 million viewers late last year, was based on a Japanese comic book or manga. This year alone, some eight movies based on Japanese works are being made. Korean drama production companies are competing to secure the rights to Japanese novels and mangas. Among Koreans in their teens and 20s, a new term called "Il-d tribe" has been coined, with "Il" coming from "Ilbon" or Japan and "d" for drama.
The Japanese onslaught is evident in literature as well. Six Japanese novels were among 10 best-selling books at the Kyobo Book Center this week. Novels by writers like Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, Kaori Ekuni and Hideo Okuda are money-making machines, selling out almost instantly. As competition for translations intensifies, the fees for rights have risen almost 10-fold.
Modern culture operates according to a market composed of readers and viewers. When more readers and viewers demand a particular product, more is made and sold. The reason Korean TV dramas like "Winter Sonata" and Korean movies do well in Japan is because of this market principle. And it is because of that market principle that Japanese products are popular among Koreans. There is no rule that says only our culture should be marketed overseas and not vice versa.
But the Japanese cultural onslaught exposes the vulnerability of our own culture. The Japanese know how to embrace middlebrow readers, in between high and popular literature. That genre is nonexistent in Korea. High literature trundles down its own path, without looking back at its readers. In contrast, popular literature can't see its readers since they are often too embarrassed to admit they are reading it. And fans of literature fall through the gap between the two genres. Readers who cannot find solace in Korean literature have fueled a Renaissance of Japanese literature in Korea. What's more, the rapid growth of Korea's entertainment industry has led to a shortage of content. The simple solution: turn to Japanese works, which are easy for Korean consumers to relate to.
This is a world of cultural content. Content determines success or failure. The side with rich content ends up smiling. If the Korean Wave is to continue, Korea's cultural industry must wake up and realize the significance of content.
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