No longer 'taboo': Korea-Japan collaborations gain traction in film and television scene

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No longer 'taboo': Korea-Japan collaborations gain traction in film and television scene

Published: 25 Feb. 2025, 17:11

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A still from Netflix original food show ″K-foodie meets J-foodie″ featuring Korean singer and foodie Sung Si-kyung, left, and Japanese actor and foodie Yutaka Matsushige, available starting on Feb. 27 [NETFLIX]

Sung Si-kyung is a veteran ballad singer Korea, and Yutaka Matsushige is a Japanese actor whose career spans over 30 years. But, there’s one thing in common between these two celebrities: they are serious foodies.

Through his YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers, Sung Si Kyung has been creating content for the past two years, showcasing his favorite restaurants in the country and easy-to-follow recipes. He also films a segment where he invites celebrity guests to his home for an interview and serves them home-cooked meals. As for Matsushige, he’s been featuring in the hit Japanese series “Solitary Gourmet” as Goro Inogashira, a middle-aged Japanese salesman who travels across the country and often stops at small restaurants for meals. The series, which began in 2012, ended in 2021 with nine seasons.

The poster of Netflix original food show ″K-foodie meets J-foodie″ featuring Korean singer and foodie Sung Si-kyung, left, and Japanese actor and foodie Yutaka Matsushige, available starting on Feb. 27 [NETFLIX]

The two men will now join hands for the new Netflix show “K-foodie meets J-foodie.” The show, which premieres on Thursday, follows two foodies as they introduce their favorite restaurants in Korea and Japan to each other. New episodes will air every Thursday.

“The two foodies converse a lot about the cultural differences between Korean and Japanese food, and this will attract viewers,” said the show’s director Kim In-sik of Studio Modak.

The first episode will begin with the capital cities of the two countries, Seoul and Tokyo, and then move on to various locations across both countries. Though the show is produced by a Korean production team, it is a collaborative work between Korea and Japan, which has been an increasing trend in production on streaming services, according to Studio Modak.

A Japanese network TBS drama series titled ″Eye Love You″ aired from Jan. 23 to March 26, 2024, featuring Japanese actor Fumi Nikaido, left, and Korean actor Chae Jong-hyeop. [TBS]

A Japanese network drama series titled ″Eye Love You″ aired from Jan. 23 to March 26, 2024, featuring Japanese actor Fumi Nikaido, left, and Korean actor Chae Jong-hyeop. [TBS]

The rise of Korea-Japan crossover productions

The trend of Korea-Japan collaborations has become more apparent since last year. One notable example is the 2024 Japanese TBS drama “Eye Love You,” which starred Korean actor Chae Jong-hyeop, who even earned the affectionate nickname "Hyop-sama" from Japanese fans. There’s also “Korea-Japan King’s Exhibition” (2024) and its spinoff “Korea-Japan Top 10 Show” (2024–), which features singing in both Japanese and Korean. The shows were created by Crea Studio and aired on Korean cable channel MBN.

Beyond featuring Japanese or Korean celebrities in respective countries’ television programs, deeper collaborations in production have also emerged. The Coupang Play series “What Comes After Love” (2024), featuring Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi and Korean actor Lee Se-young is one example. The drama series itself is an adaptation of the novel “Things That Come After Love” (2005) written by Korean novelist Gong Ji-young and Japanese writer Hitonari Tsuji. Gong narrates from the perspective of the female character Choi Hong, while Tsuji shares the male character Aoki Jungo’s viewpoint.

A poster of Coupang Play original romance series ″What Comes After Love″ (2024) featuring Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi and Korean actor Lee Se-young [COUPANG PLAY]

A still from Coupang Play original romance series ″What Comes After Love″ (2024) featuring Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi, left, and Korean actor Lee Se-young [COUPANG PLAY]

The drama's director Moon Hyun-sung said there was “close cooperation between Korean and Japanese production teams from the start, with both teams working across both countries.”

There’s also “Human Vapor,” set for release on Netflix Japan next year. It’s a joint project between production teams from the two countries — Korea’s Wow Point and Japan’s Toho. It was written by Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho of the Netflix series “Hellbound” (2021-24) and zombie film “Train to Busan” (2016) and directed by Japanese director Shinzo Katayama, known for the Japanese thriller film “Missing” (2021) and thriller series “Gannibal” (2022).

Strengthening long-term collaboration

More Korean and Japanese production companies are signing long-term partnership agreements to sustain this growing trend.

Content studio SLL JoongAng, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s TV Asahi in May 2023 in an attempt to “build a foundation for long-term collaboration across planning, production, marketing and intellectual property expansion.”

Korea’s CJ ENM also announced a joint production partnership with Japan’s TBS during the same period, committing to co-produce at least three drama series and two films over the next two years.

Experts cite the complementary nature of the Korean and Japanese content industries as a key reason for such increasing collaboration between the two countries.

“Japan is a country where TV consumption is still high and somewhat stagnant, so they are looking for ways to innovate content by utilizing Korean elements with global characteristics,” said Cho Kyu-heon, a professor of Korea-Japan cultural content at Sangmyung University.

Meanwhile, Korean production companies see these collaborations as a gateway to the Japanese market and a way to expand into wider Asian and global platforms.

Cho also added that younger audiences’ openness to cultural exchange has also played a significant role.

"Considering how consuming Japanese culture, which was once treated like a taboo in Korea, is now openly embraced, it suggests that Korean society is gradually separating politics from cultural exchanges,” Cho added.

However, Cho cautioned against the potential risks of collaboration.

"If we only emphasize collaboration, it could lead to subpar content. If political tensions between Korea and Japan arise, joint projects may also face sudden discontinuation,” said Song Jung-hyun, a professor of Japanese Studies at Dongguk University. "It is important to develop high-quality content that can create synergy through cooperation between the two countries, as well as manage political risks at the government level."

BY CHOI HYE-RI [[email protected]]