earticle

영어

The fever of the Korean Wave in 2004 was a social phenomenon in the Japanese national media. However, daily airings of Korean TV dramas and appearance of idol groups on TV, Kimchi fried rice on an elementary school lunch menu or the popularity of weekend trip to Korea to young women and so on are no longer surprising news. Also, it is not difficult to meet teenagers who frankly talked about their Korean ethnic origins. Students enrolled in classes about Korean society, culture or history often reveal that their interest in the country was piqued by their enjoyment of Korean dramas, films, or K-pop, or their mothers are great fans of Korea dramas. Many are quick to add that their Japanese idols or famous film stars are also ethnically Korean. Only a few years ago, Japanese popular culture icons of Korean descent often hid their ethnic origins. For instance, Rikkidozan, a legendary pro- wrestler in post-war Japan, never admitted his ethnicity and his Korean roots were only revealed posthumously. Similarly, Chang Hoon, a famous baseball player, tried to hide his Korean ethnic origin in public. In those days, using a Korean name was a symbol of resistance against racial discrimination. However, nowadays, a resident Korean's ‘coming out’ is hardly shocking. On the contrary, the media's changing attitude seems to make many ordinary resident Koreans feel more comfortable in using their Korean names and disclosing their national identities. In this way, the popularity of the Korean Wave proves the power of popular culture to change and challenge racial discrimination in multicultural Japan. This study will discuss these changing perceptions of Koreans in Japan. It will examine the Korean Wave and the transnational cultural flows between Japan and Korea and focus on the changing attitudes of Japanese and Koreans toward resident Koreans and their national identity.