South Korea's entertainment and food cultures have long been popular among young people in Japan, even when bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo cool off.
The "Hallyu" South Korean pop culture boom was initially triggered by "Winter Sonata," a drama series first broadcast by NHK in 2003 in Japan. The show became a social phenomenon, marked by the emergence of enthusiastic female fans who referred to lead actor Bae Yong-joon as "Yong-sama," making use of the honorific suffix "sama."
Thereafter, such K-pop groups as Tohoshinki -- also known as TVXQ! -- Girls' Generation, and Kara gained popularity in Japan, but the Korean music trend temporarily waned after then South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited Shimane Prefecture's Takeshima Islands in August 2012.
