The South Korean TV drama Winter Sonata has been a smash hit in Japan, with the star of the show, Bae Yong-joon, propelled to idol status. He is referred to in Japan these days as "Yong-sama," "-sama" being an honorary suffix usually reserved for people deemed worthy of particular respect. Other South Korean TV dramas and movies have found an eager audience.

When Bae arrived in Japan for the first time, Tokyo's Narita Airport was crowded with thousands of fans, mostly middle-aged women, hoping to get a glimpse of the heartthrob. Some people were even injured in the clamor. The location where the drama was filmed in South Korea instantly became a must-visit spot for a growing legion of Japanese tourists. Some people have even reported difficulty in obtaining airline tickets to Seoul. According to the Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute, the popularity of Winter Sonata and its star have given a boost to the South Korean and Japanese economy to the tune of ¥230 billion (about $2.3 billion at 100 yen to the dollar), including increased sales at duty-free shops.

Winter Sonata is a story of pure love, and there have been many competing explanations for the popularity of the show. One of them is that many viewers find the portrayal of pure, innocent love to be something that hearkens back to a simpler time.

The popularity of South Korea's cultural exports is not limited to Japan but has extended to Taiwan, China, and countries in Southeast Asia. Following the financial crisis that struck the country in the late 1990s, the government of South Korea has supported the country's TV programs and movies, and the strategy of spreading South Korean culture in the global marketplace appears to be bearing fruit. The government there is of the opinion that these stars offer as much brand appeal as automobiles and computers.

In response to the booming popularity of Winter Sonata, public broadcaster NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.) has begun airing a South Korean historical drama titled Great Janggeum, which tells the story of a chef at the imperial palace in the Chosun era (1392-1910). South Korean broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corp., meanwhile, is in the process of shooting a new drama that will bring together an impressive array of South Korean stars, Sad Sonata. As this year has been officially designated as "Japan-Korea Friendship Year 2005," many events promoting cultural introduction and exchange are planned, and it seems as though the han-ryu phenomenon in Japan will become even stronger.