Approximately 6,000 Japanese protestors converged outside of Fuji TV headquarters in downtown Tokyo yesterday to rally against Korean television programming, according to news reports.
Sunday’s demonstration marked the second time in a month protestors have demonstrated against Fuji TV. The first protest drew about 2,500 people, according to the Chosun Ilbo.
Waving Japanese flags, the protesters chanted slogans demanding the broadcaster to stop airing Korean programs and carried signs saying “No More Korean Wave” or “No More K-pop” and “Stop Biased Programming.” The protest lasted around four hours.
Fuji TV was targeted for being the most active broadcaster of Korean TV programs and K-pop music and has drawn the ire of right-wing Japanese.
The “Korean Wave,” also known as “Hallyu,” refers to the phenomenon in which South Korean pop culture, including K-pop, TV shows and movies, has spread abroad in recent years, according to Yonhap News.
Japan has been one the countries that has been affected the most, with many dramas and songs becoming very popular with ordinary people. Organizers said that they did not expect such a large turnout, and said they will send a open letter to the management of Fuji TV to stop favoring Korean entertainment content.
The anti-Korean sentiment in Japan has gained steam recently after Japanese actor Sousuke Takaoka told fans on Twitter he vowed to stop watching Fuji TV due to the high number of Korean TV shows. Takaoka was reportedly then dropped by his management company and issued a public apology.
A group of 2,000 protestors held a demonstration outside of Fuji TV headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday, complaining about the station’s emphasis on Korean programming, according to news reports.
Reportedly spearheaded by right-wing nationalist groups, the demonstration initially drew 600 people but swelled to 2,000.
The Dong-A Ilbo reported that participants sang the Japanese national anthem and chanted, “Long Live the Emperor!”
Protestors chanted slogans such as “Stop hallyu” and “Revoke broadcaster’s license,” with one shouting “We’ve gathered today to redeem Fuji TV from Korea’s hands.”
The anti-Korean backlash, due to a growing number of Korean dramas broadcast on Japanese TV, has gained steam in recent weeks following a controversy surrounding Japanese actor Sousuke Takaoka.
“I’ll never watch Channel 8 (Fuji TV) again,” the 29-year-old recently told fans on Twitter. “I often think it’s Korean TV. Japanese people want traditional Japanese programs.”
With news spreading that Takaoka left his management agency after criticizing Fuji TV, anti-hallyu sentiment by right-wing groups snowballed. Former Yokohama Mayor Hiroshi Nakada criticized Fuji TV, saying “I think (Takaoka’s comments) are justified. Which country’s broadcaster is Fuji?,” in condemning Fuji.
While serving as Yokohama mayor, Nakada urged public schools in the city to adopt history textbooks distorting Korea-Japan history.
It’s voting time! Thanks so much to all of you who submitted videos. We were blown away by your talent and humor. We laughed, we cried (OK, we mostly just laughed) — and now we’re so excited to share these clips with the world.
Please vote for your three favorite videos by this Monday, Nov. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PST. You can vote once every 24 hours. The three finalists — two who receive the highest number of votes and one Editors’ Pick — will be announced later that week. We know it’s not a whole lot of time so you gotta get moving. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE! And spread the word!
“Phones before Flowers – 꽃보다 핸”
Writer and director: Roy Choi
DP & Editor: Si Joon Lee
Cast: Paul “PK” Kim, Janet Choi, Roy Choi
Production Assistants: Christine Kim, Rina Lee
“Stairway to Autumn Sonata – Episode 1″
Director & Editor: Ngoc Le
Cast : Peter Lee, Ngoc Le, John Kim, Jacqueline Lum, Alex Lee
“Stairway to Autumn Sonata – Episode 2″
Director & Editor: Ngoc Le
Cast : Peter Lee, Ngoc Le, John Kim, Jacqueline Lum, Alex Lee
“Kim Sam Soon Parody”
Director: Esther Yoo
Editor: Soo Hyun Lee
Cast: Esna Yoon, Paul Ahn
“GOCHU (고추) Trailer”
Director: Andrew Oh
Writer: Shane Yoon
Producers: Annie Kim, Andrew Oh
Associate Producer: Eugene Choi
Cast: Jun Kim, Shane Yoon, Mina Yoo, David Lee Kane, Ben Chang, John Park, David Rhee, Eugene Choi, Juliana Park
Fight Coordinator: Ben Chang
Set Photographer: John Park (www.johnparkphoto.com)
Special thanks to: Eddie Kim, Soobin Kang, Sunny Hong
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Ejvus6q0M[/youtube]
“Soulmate”
Director: Esther Yoo
Editor: Soo Hyun Lee
Cast: Soo Hyun Lee, Vivian Lee
“C’mon Through” performed by: Lasse Lindh
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvhllXr-MZk[/youtube]
“Omma Dearest 1 – Omma Raci$t?”
Director: Chil Kong
Writer: Charles Kim
Cast: Charles Kim, Jully Lee, Dom Magwili
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8GUTOumv64[/youtube]
“Omma Dearest 2 – Harvard?”
Director: Chil Kong
Writer: Charles Kim
Cast: Charles Kim, Lanny Joon
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG4js1cxtM0[/youtube]
“Omma Dearest 3 – Harvard? Part 2″
Director: Chil Kong
Writer: Charles Kim
Cast: Charles Kim, Lanny Joon, Rick Steadman, Ryun Yu, Erin Quill, Jennifer Holloway, Elpidio Ebuen, Bobby Choy
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqyb3Yp2nZU[/youtube]
“The Fight for Love (scene 7)”
Writer, director, editor: Girard Tecson
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgZfEpnuMf4[/youtube]
“Summer Sonata”
Director: Richard Choi
Producer: Hahn Cho
Editor: Dino DeLorenzo
Cast: Vivian Bang, Randall Park, Hahn Cho
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pt04EC4mRc[/youtube]
“Nocturne of the Stars part 1″
Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer: Ang Xie
Cast: Karen Pan, Czharcus Jones, Leon Horn, Sean Kao
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTDUOXBjM_0[/youtube]
“Nocturne of the Stars part 2″
Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer: Ang Xie
Cast: Karen Pan, Czharcus Jones, Leon Horn, Sean Kao
CONTEST DESCRIPTION
Lust. Envy. Deceit. Amnesia. It must be Korean drama time!
To celebrate the launch of iamKoreAm.com, Verizon Wireless and Asiana Airlines are sponsoring a video contest starring you! Your mission: To create your own K-drama scene.
We want it all—mobsters, catfights, mistaken identities, fatal illnesses, and of course, plenty of over-the-top sobbing. Let your imagination run wild.
So write a script, cast your friends, turn on the video camera and get moving! Clips must be no longer than three minutes and submitted by Nov. 8.
That week, we’ll post the top 10 videos for readers to vote on.
Submit your entry by uploading a video response to this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0L5xMXcN-M
Three finalists (two that receive that the most votes and one that editors pick) will win two tickets to KoreAm’s exclusive celebrity-studded gala “Unforgettable” in Los Angeles (a $500 value), where their videos will be screened. Attendees will vote for their favorite scene via text messaging. The winner will take home one round-trip ticket to Korea from Asiana Airlines and a Verizon Wireless phone.
The rules and details:
- Scenes must be in English, or subtitled in English.
- You can remake a scene from an existing Korean drama, but try to avoid using the original audio. Dubbing in your own lines is part of the fun!
- Submissions must be original creations. The video must not have been previously submitted, distributed or aired.
- No profanity or sexually-explicit content.
- Videos will be judged on originality, humor and overall impressiveness.
Sponsored by:
FOR ONLY $28!
Featured Event
It’s the new year, and Yim Jae Beum is coming to town! After a sold-out show in Los Angeles last October, he is coming back to hold two U.S. concerts for the 2012 Lunar New Year. Everyone already knows this man can sing! He’s got an impressive resume, debuting as a rock singer back in 1986, releasing Korean classics, such as “For You,” and most recently, joining and winning first place twice on the MBC show, “I am a Singer.”
Seattle and New Jersey, get ready! We are happy to announce that we will be giving away TWO (2) pairs of tickets! read more
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