A League of their Own: Female Supporters of Hallyu and Korea–Japan Relations1. (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Oh, Ingyu; Lee, Choong‐Mook
• Is Part Of: Pacific focus. Volume 29:Number 2(2014:Aug.)
• Page Start: 284
• Page End: 302
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: East Asia -- Foreign relations -- Periodicals; Pacific Area -- Foreign relations -- Periodicals; 327.59
• DOI: 10.1111/pafo.12026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1225-4657

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Many researchers agree that <italic>Hallyu</italic> (the Korean Wave) has been pivotal in promoting a positive Korean national image worldwide, including in Japan, due to <italic>Hallyu</italic>'s unique cultural power, which has touched the hearts of many female fans. However, scholars disagree on the effectiveness of <italic>Hallyu</italic> as a reliable soft power for Korean public diplomacy. The attractiveness of <italic>Hallyu</italic> seems to have decidedly waned in Japan amid the emergence of the second Abe cabinet, which did not curtail routinized large‐scale anti‐<italic>Hallyu</italic> demonstrations in Tokyo. Simultaneously, the Abe government is strongly asserting Japan's new identity as a normal state that could maintain a standing army, while openly engaging in territorial disputes with neighbors and denying wartime atrocities through routine cabinet‐level visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. We argue, however, that <italic>Hallyu</italic> soft power has an enduring impact on the large number of female supporters of <italic>Hallyu</italic> in Japan, including Abe's spouse, by empowering them in politics and international relations as a new feminine power group. Unlike the traditional patrimonial households, where Japanese fathers inculcate a strong sense of anti‐Korea discourse in their children, the new <italic>Hallyu</italic> "moms" are now decidedly training their children to be politically neutral and culturally appreciative of Korea. We find that <italic>Hallyu</italic>, as a cultural alternative to the male‐dominated Japanese pop culture, is gaining unremitting popular support among Japanese women who are disgruntled over Japan's "lost decades."</p> </abstract>