SEOUL – Ms Jeong Se-ah feels happy to see Tanaka – a Japanese bar host character depicted by a South Korean comedian – because he revives her teenage memories of watching animated shows from the neighbouring nation.

The 24-year-old office worker is one of a growing number of young South Koreans drawn to the products and culture of Japan, coming to see it as more of a friend than a foe that colonised the country 70 years ago, unlike previous generations.

Dressed in a Japan-inspired retro costume and manga accessories among a crowd waiting for Tanaka to begin a concert near Seoul, Ms Jeong sang a ditty by a Japanese rock group the entertainer idolises, X Japan.

“I like Tanaka more than his real self,” she said. “There is something really charming and touching about him, and I’ve never seen an artiste who tries so hard to make eye contact and communicate with every single fan.”

The character’s easy talk about Japan and its culture built on that allure, she added. “There was a social environment that sort of encourages boycotting Japanese culture, but people seem to be accepting it naturally,” Ms Jeong said.

For his part, Kim Kyung-wook, a once-forgotten comedian who has transformed the Tanaka character into one of South Korea’s hottest YouTube stars and entertainers, said his appeal to the young mattered more than the reason for it.

“I think for young people, it’s not about why, but just the fact they like something,” said Mr Kim, who became fascinated by Japanese culture as a teenager, leading him to give the character a style and background missing from the South Korean scene.

And his persona’s catchy manner of speaking, wolf-cut hairstyle, retro outfits and mastery of old Japanese and K-pop songs have contributed to that success.

Kim exemplifies the changing attitudes of young South Koreans as ties with Japan thaw.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose May visit to Seoul was the first by a Japanese leader in 12 years, offered unprecedented personal condolences to wartime victims.

Today’s fervour for Tanaka – who has nearly 800,000 YouTube followers after gigs with famed K-pop stars such as Taeyang of Big Bang and a national tour that saw concerts sell out in minutes – is very different from the response to his 2018 debut.

Then, with spats over their shared wartime history flaring between Seoul and Tokyo, Tanaka was hardly popular.

Relations had plunged to their lowest in decades after rows over the neighbours’ history spilt over into trade disputes in 2019, casting a cloud over US-led efforts to counter North Korea’s growing military threat.

Demand rebound

The quarrels are being left behind as the enthusiasm of young South Koreans fuels a sharp rebound in demand for Japanese consumer products.

April’s launch of a canned beer by beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings that is said to better replicate the experience of drinking the draft variety had many enthusiasts camping outside Costco stores in Seoul, ready to sprint to the doors when they opened.

“I’m not a huge fan of Japanese beer, but I saw it on social media, and it’s true that people’s perceptions of Japan have improved a lot,” said Mr Son In-seok, 39, who waited for days to get his hands on the new beer at a convenience store.

South Korean imports of Japanese beer and whisky surged nearly 250 per cent and 300 per cent, respectively, in the first quarter of 2023 from 2020, while inbound garment shipments jumped almost 47 per cent.

That compared with a 90 per cent drop in imports of Japanese beer in 2019, when the intensifying feuds made it an early target of a sweeping boycott.

Some South Korean victims of Japanese military brothels and forced labour during its colonial rule from 1910 to 1945 have long demanded an apology and compensation from Tokyo.

But officials say changing attitudes emboldened South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to risk political backlash with a March offer of compensation for such victims with funds from South Korean corporates rather than Japanese companies, as Seoul’s courts had ordered.

A January poll by Hankook Research showed Japan’s likeability score among South Koreans was the highest since 2018, with those aged 29 or younger the most positive about the neighbouring nation.

China, which in 2019 scored nearly twice what Japan did, rated among the lowest in 2023, alongside Russia and North Korea.

A March survey by the same pollster showed 40 per cent of South Koreans backed Mr Yoon’s compensation plan, with 53 per cent opposed. But more than 51 per cent of respondents aged 29 or below backed it, while 36 per cent viewed it negatively.

Political dynamics are spurring the young to take a less antagonistic view of Japan, said Dr James Kim, a regional specialist at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

“China is clearly less preferred than countries like the United States and Japan,” he said, citing Beijing’s curbs on freedom in Hong Kong and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even if younger people are not completely satisfied by South Korea’s efforts to resolve thorny historical issues, Dr Kim said, “they see a more immediate threat and recognise the benefit of aligning with other like-minded democracies in the region”. REUTERS