코리아타임즈 Korean Prince Charming

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Korean Prince Charming `Yong-sama' Craze Narrows Emotional Gap With Japan

A tall handsome actor is materializing what thousands of diplomats failed to do over decades: bring Koreans and Japanese closer together. The melee at the airport and hotel caused by thousands of Japanese fans to see Bae Yong-jun, or ``Yong-sama (Prince Yong),’’ demonstrates why the 31-year-old Korean is the biggest cultural success since the dispatch of the Korean royal mission to Japan in the 17th century. Even culture commentators in Seoul and Tokyo cannot explain the reason for Bae’s explosive popularity in Japan. David Beckham and Tom Cruise are no match for Yong-sama, who has become the archipelago’s ``Word of the Year,’’ beating even Japan’s baseball hero, Ichiro Suzuki and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. One might presume it is Bae’s physical attraction, with his soft smile and manly grace, as well as the image of the self-sacrificing lover he played in the TV melodrama, ``Winter Sonata.’’ From a social perspective, Japanese people seem to find in Korea what the advanced, industrial society lacks _ innocent passion. Bae’s character in the naive, almost unrealistic love story, which cannot be found among Japanese men _ and most Korean men for that matter _ might have sparked girlish dreams and maternal instincts in the middle-aged Japanese women. In fact, Korea had long been little more than a former colony for most Japanese, with the image of Koreans being angry or sad people. This began to change with the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, through which they discovered the Korean people to be energetic and cheerful. And Bae is now at the pinnacle of the ``Korean wave’’ of movies, songs and other popular culture that is all the rage not only Japan but also in East Asia. When Korea and Japan opened the other’s cultural market years ago, many Koreans feared that superior Japanese products would drive out their Korean counterparts. However, Korea appears to be more of a winner than a loser. Yong-sama alone is said to have generated up to 1 trillion won in sales and also changed the image of Koreans in Japan. But Koreans should not be too proud or nationalistic of their recent achievements. It must be noted that Japan opened its market much wider, based on its cultural confidence, which is reflected in Yong-sama fervor. It is difficult to know how long the Yong-sama craze and Korean wave will last. One thing seems certain, however-a boom based on a pop culture icon cannot go far. Culture, as a profitable industry, should be promoted using national efforts but not become overly shallow. Perhaps the most positive aspect of the Yong-sama boom is the newfound understanding and acceptance between the people of the two nations.