Cross-Bordering Japanese Culture in the Changing Media Environment: Focusing on Japanese Popular Culture in Korea

When the animation Attack on Titan aired on Japanese television, it ranked No.1 on the Internet hit list in Korea, and received much attention through CATV and Internet. Also, a number of parodies have made on television and the Internet. Japanese popular culture is being consumed and reproduced across national borders by various media devices. In the process of media-globalization, Japanese culture was banned over 30-years in Korea owing to the historically particular condition between two countries. This paper purposes to find out characteristics of Japanese popular culture in Korea in this changing media environment and effects of media. 

 In Korea, Japanese popular culture was officially opened in 1998~2004, meanwhile Internet has rapidly proliferated in 2000s, young users shared manga or animation on cyberspace. Namely, media convergence and diversification have enhanced cultural contacts across borders with dynamics of policy, media industry, it effects on the space and patterns of contacting Japanese culture. Particularly, this transition appears in line with pre-existed fandom and extends throughout the new-media as Attack on Titan case indicates. Moreover, refracted cultural phenomenon has observed on new-media such as translating contents, parodying, using as signifier. Japanese popular culture on the Internet also interacts with existing media, and shows connection among various media, for example, reproducing on television like Hanayori-dango.

 Recently, Japanese culture can be seen through formal platform IPTV or Internet contents-store besides pirate copies. However, there is limitation on interface because of language, lack of content diversity, and people who cannot use new-media tends to be excluded. Considering impacts of new-media, it is required to provide interface with easy-access and diversified contents based on translation service to share culture and to create interactive cultural space. This paper represents how media environment impacts on Japanese popular culture and suggests possibility of cultural space in new-media.