In South Korea and Japan, culture bridges historical divides: ‘quite a contrast’

Eighty years after South Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, a younger generation’s shared passions are creating a new intimacy

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South Koreans dressed as characters from the Japanese anime Diebuster take part in a cosplay competition in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 17 Aug 2025

In Seoul’s hip Hongdae neighbourhood, 19-year-old Choi Jae-eun is already deep in conversation with her friend about the latest anime drop on Netflix. The pair are making their way to Animate, a shop inside AK Plaza whose shelves overflow with Japanese manga, anime figurines and limited-edition merchandise.

Pop-up stalls themed around blockbuster series lure teenagers and twenty-somethings who, until recently, might have been dismissed as otaku – a once-derogatory term for obsessive fans.

But now, Japanese pop culture is everywhere: in the manga-laden shelves of Animate, in the queues for anime-themed pop-ups, in the playlists of teenagers.

Eighty years after Japan’s colonial rule ended in 1945, South Koreans – especially the young – have made Japanese culture part of their daily lives. The same is true of Tokyo, where the Hallyu wave hit especially hard and K-pop concerts sell out in minutes.

A man walks past an advertisement featuring Japanese and South Korean flags outside a shop in Tokyo. Photo: AP

“I started to watch Japanese animation from a young age as my parents introduced me to classics like Dragon Ball Z and Studio Ghibli,” Choi said. “I’m always asking my friend if they watched the new Japanese anime that dropped on Netflix.”

In South Korea and Japan, culture bridges historical divides: ‘quite a contrast’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Eighty years after South Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, a younger generation’s shared passions are creating a new intimacy

Eighty years after South Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, a younger generation’s shared passions are creating a new intimacy