Literary ‘Hallyu’ Sweeping Japan
Dong-mi Park
Reporter, Moonhwa Ilbo
Korean literature may sit on the peripheries of the global literary market, but it would be no exaggeration to say that it has become mainstream in Japan. What is essentially a literary Hallyu, or Korean Wave, has been forming in Japan as Korean novels have increased in popularity following the feminist discourse sparked by Cho Nam-joo’s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982. Titles in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, usually adorn the covers of books from Korea to make their country of origin known. A wide variety of Korean titles are published in Japanese translation, including serious literary works, light-hearted essays, feminist books, and informational books covering science and humanities topics. In a nutshell, a sort of “K-Book” trend has set in as Korean literary works have become best-sellers in the Japanese book market.
It would be fair to say that Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 and Sohn Won-pyung’s Almond have spearheaded the current trend. The former is the Korean novel that sold the most international copies over the last five years, with over 200,000 sold in Japan. Its film adaptation was as much the talk of the town in Japan as it was in Korea. The novel portrays the self-awakening and development of a woman who experiences discrimination and exclusion for being female in a patriarchal society.
The story seems to have equal appeal among both Japanese and Korean women readers, as their societies are similarly based on Confucian culture. Almond also sold over 200,000 copies in Japan and drew keen attention after winning the Japan Booksellers’ Award. Sohn Won-pyung went on to claim the award for a consecutive year, with Counterattack at Thirty, and has since established herself as a popular writer in Japan. Among recently released publications, Min Ji-hyung’s My Crazy, Feminist Girlfriend is growing popular—especially among female readers in their 20s and 30s.
As far as the Japanese publication of Korean books is concerned, “K-Literature” seems to become broader and more prominent. Many Japanese translations of Korean works are released with the titles and authors’ names written in Hangeul on the covers, leading them to sometimes be confused for Korean books. Good examples of this include Chang Kang-myoung’s Because I Hate Korea, Hwang Jung-eun’s Yeonnyeonsese, Bae Myung-hoon’s Tower, and Kang Hwagil’s Another Person. An official at Korocolor Publishers that produced the Japanese version of Because I Hate Korea stated that the company intentionally designed the front cover to look like a Korean book. “Not only because Korean literature is very popular in Japan but also because the Korean alphabet is thought of as trendy here,” they added.
As Korea and Korean letters emerge as trendy, Japanese publishers look into Korean books of diverse genres. In other words, the “K-Book” potential is expanding both in width and depth. Kim Soo-hyun’s Being Comfortable without Effort made headlines by fetching over 200 million won in advance payment. Similar light-hearted essays are quickly garnering a popularity that rivals books in which Korean experts analyze Korean media or academic writing linked to the sciences and humanities. According to etc.books, a Japanese publisher and bookstore, most of the titles it sells are related to Korea, with over half being Korean feminist fiction, books on feminism, and general humanities-related books and essays.
From the wide variety of Korean literature, essays seem to have the most far-reaching influence. Kim Soohyun seemed to initiate this, with her work I Decided to Live As Me enjoying sensational success. The book sold a million copies in Korea and 300,000 in Japan, and even K-pop group BTS’s Jungkook is known to have read it. Ha Wan’s I Was About to Live Hard became famous after it was read by TVXQ’s U-Know Yunho and listed as a top 10 essay book by Amazon, the largest online bookstore in Japan.
Targeting young readers in Japan, Korean essays such as It Will Take Long before I Become an Adult, It’s Okay Though, and It’s Not Lazy, It’s Charging deliver insights and consolation for everyday life. Cuon, a publisher and content agency based in Japan, has overseen the Japanese publication of varied Korean books. Its director, Kim Seung-bok, said, “Everything K-pop idols see and listen to influences their fans, and it is meaningful that books have occupied a spot in that.”
Japanese publishers of Korean books are gradually moving away from their early approach of depending largely on K-pop idols. Kim, who also operates a Tokyo-based bookshop specializing in Korean literature, said that the scope of “K-Books” is expanding to cover experts’ books on Hallyu topics, feminist books, and non-fiction science and humanities works. In other words, Korean publishers’ sensitive perception of social changes and trends and their subsequent plans to reflect them have been successful in Japan. The Japanese translation of popular culture critic Kim Yungdae’s BTS The review: A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS, provides an in-depth look at the global sensation. First published in Japan in 2020, the translation is already in its seventh edition. Kim has also signed a contract for the Japanese publication of his book Idols As Artists In the K-pop Era, in which he looks into 10 idol groups from the humanities perspective. For this book, he secured a fee three to four times higher than for his previous work.
Other Korean books appealing to Japanese readers include I Don’t Know Me Yet, an essay explaining brain science, and When a Speech Becomes a Sword, a work that expertly examines the social issue of hatred in Korea. Within a year of being published in Korea, these books have made inroads into Japan.
This article has been written by a specialist outside the Korea Foundation and the views expressed here may not reflect the KF’s official position.
KOREA FOUNDATION
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