S. Korea-Japan cultural exchange continues in spite of diplomatic and trade dispute

Posted on : 2019-08-08 16:20 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Experts see culture as way to ease political and economic tension
 who has recently made her South Korean debut. (provided by Spotlight)
who has recently made her South Korean debut. (provided by Spotlight)

Even amid the escalating diplomatic spat between South Korea and Japan, it comes as some surprise that media and cultural exchange between the two countries is holding steady. Aside from the fact that South Korea has little reason to block cultural exchange, given its current advantage in that area, experts argue that such exchange can ease political and economic tension and that the two nations need authentic ways to communicate.

After Japan launched its economic retaliation, there had been questions about how the South Korean public would respond to Japanese pop stars, referred to as idols, performing for the domestic music market, but their popularity remains intact. Some nasty comments were posted on articles about Twice, a nine-member girl group with three Japanese members, and Iz One, a 12-member girl group, also with three Japanese members. But other comments called for a halt to such attacks, and there has been a groundswell of support for these Japanese idols.

 a Japanese member of the girl group Twice. (provided by JYP Entertainment)
a Japanese member of the girl group Twice. (provided by JYP Entertainment)

Japanese musicians who have been gearing up to perform in the South Korean market have begun their activity as planned. The girl group Rocket Punch, the latest act to sign with Woollim Entertainment, the label behind such groups as Infinite and Lovelyz, had its debut on Aug. 7. There had been concerns because one of the group’s members is Juri Takahashi, a Japanese national whose stardom began an appearance on the competitive audition show called Produce 48, but fan support has remained steady.

Furthermore, public opinion is still on the side of Japanese singer-songwriter Ruann, who has recently moved into the South Korean market, Japanese singer Yukika, and the girl group Honey Popcorn, all of whose five members are Japanese.

Japanese music concerts and exhibitions are also moving ahead with few hitches. It’s business as usual for ticket sales of an Aug. 31 concert by Japanese bossa nova group Naomi & Goro and a Nov. 2 show by Japanese band Sekai no Owari. Japanese bands on the lineup of summer music events such as the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival (Aug. 9-11) and the Gangwon Rock Festival (Aug. 16-18) haven’t run into any snags while getting set for their shows.

Japanese singer Ruann
Japanese singer Ruann

Exhibitions and film screenings also relatively unaffected by tensions

Meanwhile, preparations are humming along for an exhibition on the Gaya Confederacy to be held at the National Museum of Korea in December (and later in Japan). The curators are even considering the option of bringing over some artifacts from Japan for the show, from sources including the Okura collection.

After the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival decided to screen all seven of the Japanese films on its original lineup, other film festivals being held this month — such as the EBS International Documentary Festival, the Animal Film Festival in Suncheon Bay, South Jeolla Province, and the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival — have all decided to keep Japanese submissions on the program. “A movie is just a movie,” opined one figure in the film industry.

Certain cultural products hit hard

Sana
Sana

To be sure, worsening relations between South Korea and Japan have taken a bite out of some cultural products. The release date of Japanese cartoon “Doraemon: Nobita’s Chronicle of the Moon Exploration” had originally been planned for Aug. 14, but that was delayed following the unusually poor showing of previous Japanese cartoons “Butt Detective the Movie” and “Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire.” Japanese film “Jesus” is supposed to hit theaters on Aug. 8, but the distributor has barely managed to line up any screens for the film.

South Korean singer Yoon Jong-shin has delayed the release of a new song that he collaborated on with Japanese singer Miyu Takeuchi, another Produce 48 alum. Yoon sadly announced the delay on social media on Aug. 5, explaining that “the Japanese government and the right wing started making their offensive remarks” just when the song was about to go live. “Things rapidly got worse, and after a lot of thought we finally decided to delay the release and save our song for another day,” the artist said.

S. Korea has competitive edge over Japan in cultural and media content

South Korean experts agree that cultural exchange is particularly important during this kind of crisis, a view that’s grounded in Korean confidence in the country’s overwhelming competitive edge in media content.

“There’s been a clear reversal in Korea-Japan cultural exchange since the rise of K-pop. Right now, South Korea has the overall lead in cartoons, characters, and games. All this will have little impact on K-pop in Japan, and South Korea has no particular reason to ban Japanese culture, either,” said Won Yong-jin, a professor at Sogang University.

According to statistics for the cultural content industry (including publishing, movies, games, music, and related categories) provided by the Korea Creative Content Agency, South Korean content exports to Japan in 2017 were worth around US$1.66 billion, well over seven times the US$214 million worth of Japanese content imported by South Korea.

“You’ve got to distinguish the state from its people. As private-sector cultural exchange expands, it needs to be used as a tool for mutual understanding and communication,” said No Seung-rim, a music critic.

That view was shared by a senior staffer at the National Museum of Korea. “The South Korean government needs to have a two-fold strategy — responding resolutely to the Japanese government, while also courting allies among sympathetic progressive intellectuals and cultural figures in Japan,” the staffer said.

By Suh Jung-min, music correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)

Related stories