Unit 81
　　Asian Interest in Korean Pop Culture
　　The Korean entertainment has been popular in China and many other Asian countries for years. It touches lots of young souls with exciting stories. It has made Samsung and LG household names. It has caused people to put their bodies under a surgeon's knife to become beautiful Korean-style.
　　It's usually not easy for foreign pop culture to enter Japan. However, it seems the country's show business has been losing its protection from the Korean pop influence. "Japan seemed to be a bit late in appreciating Korean entertainment, but I'm happy that more people are interested now," said Im So Yeon, 30, a Korean born shop clerk in Tokyo.
　　The interest in Korean pop culture began in 2000 with "Shuri", a high-powered action film staring Han Suk Kyu. Since then, general interest in Korean pop culture has been growing steadily, and picked up in 2002 when Japan and Korea co-hosted the FIFA World Cup and promoted cultural exchanges. This year, more than 30 Korean films are scheduled to open in Japan. According to Kim Kang Sik, director of the Korean Culture Center in Tokyo, this is the largest number so far -- two times the number of annual imports in Japan over the past few years.
　　Similarly, Korean TV dramas, which used attract a limited number of viewers, are finding a wider audience. This month, Japan broadcasting corporation NHK's land-line channel began airing the hit Korean TV series "Winter Sonata". It is notable since this 11-12 pm time-slot has traditionally been reserved for American TV series. The show already struck a chord in Japan when it was broadcast twice last year on NHK's satellite channel. Its popularity has spilled into other areas. NHK's publishing branch has already sold 860,000 copies of novel based on the screenplay, and 150,000 DVDs and videos.
　　"In general, relationships between families and friends in South Korea tend to be closer than those in Japan, and the happiness or sorrow are almost excessively described in dramas," said Baeg Seong Soo, a Korean lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies who specializes in Asian media studies. "Meanwhile, many Japanese trendy dramas seem to be popular with only young people, and the conflicts tend to be less emotional than those in real life." Baeg believes that the current Korean entertainment boom is reaching its peak and will soon level off, though she doesn't see this as a bad thing: "When Japanese people just choose Korean movies and dramas like they do with those from Hollywood, Europe or Hong Kong, that is when the meaning of this boom will really be defined."