Japanese pop culture first captured global attention in the 1950s, when postwar melodramatic films found international audiences. But its true global breakthrough came in the 1980s with the rise of manga and anime. Today, Japan remains a powerhouse in global pop culture, thanks to its thriving manga, character, and gaming industries.
In contrast, South Korean pop culture remained largely unknown abroad until the early 2000s, when Korean dramas (K-dramas) gained popularity in China and Japan. Around the same time, K-pop also began its ascent. Together, these trends sparked the global phenomenon known as Hallyu, or the Korean Wave.
How did Japan and Korea each build such successful pop culture industries—and what lessons can Taiwan draw from their experiences?
The Media Mix
Japan’s success stems from an early adoption of media convergence, often referred to as the “media mix.” This model integrated manga publishing, TV broadcasting, and merchandise in a mutually reinforcing cycle. The postwar economic boom, especially after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, led to rapid growth in the children’s manga market. Weekly manga magazines competed for top stories and art, with winners serialized into monthly collections and later published as standalone books.
Television networks would then adapt the most popular titles into animated series, bringing in high ratings and profits. Internationally, these anime shows—dubbed into local languages—found large audiences. To appeal to global markets, character designs were often hybridized, featuring mixed-race or Western features, such as in Super Mario Bros.
This tightly knit ecosystem of publishers, artists, TV producers, and exporters turned Japan into a global leader in animation and character content. Titles like One Piece, Doraemon, and Naruto exemplify Japan’s strategy of combining Western-style storytelling with Japanese cultural sensibilities to create stories with universal appeal.
Media convergence
K-dramas also adopted media convergence, but in a distinctively Korean way. South Korea is home to one of the world’s largest groups of female drama writers, whose emotionally rich melodramas have resonated strongly with domestic and international audiences. Unlike the passive female roles often portrayed in classic Japanese melodramas, K-drama heroines are often strong, independent, and confront issues like patriarchy and inequality head-on.
Initially, K-dramas struggled to expand abroad due to limited broadcasting channels and low international demand. That changed with the rise of online streaming, first in China through Tencent and later globally via Netflix. Another game-changer was the introduction of WebToons—a uniquely Korean digital comics platform that allowed stories to be tested with audiences before being adapted into TV dramas. This approach mirrored Japan’s manga-to-anime pipeline.
Today’s K-dramas follow a clear trajectory: from WebToon to TV drama and on to global streaming hit. Many successful K-dramas, such as Crash Landing on You, are centered on women and resonate strongly with global female audiences. Others, like Squid Game, adapt or are inspired by Japanese manga, but localize them to fit Korean societal narratives.
Learn to “Glocalise”
K-pop, meanwhile, took a radically different path to global fame. Faced with a small domestic market and widespread music piracy, Korean entertainment agencies focused on exports from the outset—especially to Japan, the world’s second-largest music market.
K-pop first captured Japanese audiences—particularly women who were already K-drama fans. Many K-pop idols appeared in dramas, further boosting their cross-media appeal. The launch of YouTube was a turning point. By 2009, Japanese iPhone users discovered K-pop content preloaded on their devices—free, accessible, and faster-paced than expensive J-pop CDs.
K-pop’s global appeal was amplified by its glocalization strategy. While music composition was often outsourced to songwriters in Sweden, the UK, and the US, training in dance and performance remained rooted in South Korea. This combination allowed K-pop to appeal to international tastes while retaining a distinct Korean flavor.
Unlike the passive female roles often portrayed in classic Japanese melodramas, K-drama heroines are often strong, independent, and confront issues like patriarchy and inequality head-on.
The genre’s popularity among women and LGBTQ+ communities also contributed to its success. K-pop idols, both male and female, often express care and affection toward their fans in ways that resonate deeply with these groups—something rarely seen in Western or Japanese pop music.
The real turning point came when BTS broke into the U.S. market with Columbia/Sony, establishing K-pop as a global genre rather than just an Asian export.
For other Indo-Pacific countries to thrive in the global pop culture market, theymust craft a focused, differentiated strategy rather than simply blending elements from Japan and Korea.
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Taiwan, for example, should specialize in one or two pop culture genres where it has a creative edge. Japan became synonymous with manga and anime; Korea focused on dramas and music.
Second, it should build a coherent media convergence model. Japan’s success came through the integration of magazines, books, and TV. Korea’s came through WebToons, dramas, and streaming services. Taiwan or Thailand or other countries must identify their own pipeline from original content to global distribution.
Third, it needs to define its storytelling identity and target audience. Japan blended Western and Eastern myths; Korea built universal stories centered on women. Other countries should create content that speaks to their unique cultural voice while resonating with global values.
By learning from its neighbors—not copying them—other Indo-Pacific nations such as Taiwan or Thailand have the potential to craft their own wave in global pop culture.