Hallyu's 10th year in Japan to be marked

Famous Korean drama stars 

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the advancement of hallyu in Japan triggered by “Winter Sonata,” Japanese media outlets are planning to carry out various projects. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), they recently set up an executive committee toward that end. They announced a package of programs during a recent symposium held at the KOCCA building with the theme “Vigor to hallyu! The prospect for hallyu market from the perspective of Korea and Japan.” The committee comprises of major broadcaster TBS and content providers SPO, Pony Cannon, and Kyodo News Agency, and Kinma Junbo, a cinema media. They plan to conduct voting on the popular hallyu dramas by hallyu fans in Japan starting from late June. The voting will continue for three months and the results will be used to select the top five works and three best actors and actresses to be announced around the end of the year. It also plans to hold a ceremony where the selected celebrities will attend. The committee will attempt to have TBS and other cable channels rebroadcast hallyu dramas and publish hallyu-related books. Besides the firms which are part of the committee, it will also seek to invite some 30 broadcasters, and advertisers, and eventually increase the number of participating companies up to 100. “Hallyu is not politics. It is a precious cultural exchange at the civilian level. We are determined to build up strong trust so that the hallyu road can continue,” said Ushio Kaski, head of SPO’s Seoul branch. “Though hallyu has seen steady progress through such dramas as “Winter Sonata” and “Daejanggeum” (Jewel in the Palace), there has been a growing need for a big hit these days,” he said. He cited the need to produce works that appeal to youngsters in Japan and form an environment favorable to producing new content. SPO has been importing hallyu dramas into Japan starting with the purchase of “Jungdok” (Addiction) starred by Lee Byung-hun, “Gung” (Palace), and “City Hunter.”

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