KOREAN-NESS BECOMING POPULAR IN JAPAN

Interesting article:

Koreans have a harsh history in Japan. Their homeland was under Tokyo's colonist yoke for 35 years, and in Japan they still face discrimination and cruel stereotypes. But thanks to the mega-hit South Korean soap opera "Winter Sonata," Koreans these days also face something quite different in Japan: adulation.

On visits to Tokyo, the show's two main actors -- Bae Yong-joon, 32, and Choi Ji-woo, 29 -- are mobbed by swooning fans, and sales of chewing gum and chocolates they advertise have surged.

Japanese are filling Korean language classes, crooning Korean pop songs at karaoke clubs and buying out flights to Seoul to visit places featured in the drama. (full article)