The marriages of Japanese women with South Korean men have shot themselves. There is a word that explains it: Hallyu

Last June Japan I had a lesson For the world after years of pro-nature policies, although a very little encouraging lesson: its fertility and the number of births continued to fall. All kinds of proposals had passed along the way, Even money and husband For women who opted for the countryside instead of the capital. However, what few could expect is that marriages are shooting, but those of Japanese with South Koreans, and not vice versa.

An unexpected boom. Yeah, Nikkei had That, in recent years, marriages between Japanese women and South Korean men have experienced unpublished growth, with an increase of 40% only in the last year, reaching their highest point in a decade.

Reasons? Apparently, the phenomenon is framed within a broader tendency of international marriages In South Korea, which represents about 10% of all unions, in contrast to the general drop of 30% in the total number of marriages in the country during the last decade. Although most of the international marriages In Korea they are with people from Vietnam or China, Japanese unions have grown up 13% between 2019 and 2024far exceeding the rhythm of other nationalities.

This trend is driven not only by cultural and demographic factors, but also by a symbolic transformation into bilateral relations, in which romance becomes an unexpected route of approach between two peoples historically marked by tensions.

Hallyu as a catalyst. The rise of these marriages has its origin, to a large extent, in the cultural phenomenon of the Hallyu U “Korean wave”, which since the early 2000s has radically transformed the perception that Japanese women have from South Korea. Here are phenomena such as Winter Sonata television dramaissued in Japan in 2003, starting point for a transgenerational fascination that is today manifested in passions by the K-Pophe Korean cinema and the Seoul fashion.

For many Japanese, interest began In adolescence with school series and musical idols, and It has been transforming in an attraction for the South Korean lifestyle as a whole. This process has resulted in deep affective ties With Korean cultureto the point that moving to South Korea and marrying a national becomes for many a personal and cultural fulfillment, not just emotional.

Cross perceptions. Plus: both Japanese women and South Korean men manifest favorable perceptions of the other. The means that the Japanese value that the Koreans express their affection with greater intensity, are more attentive and emotionally close, they maintain frequent contact by phone and surprise with details.

South Korean men, meanwhile, see in Japanese women educated, dedicated, discreet and with a strong sense of family duty. Despite cultural differences, both parties seem to find in the other an idealized version of what they do not find in their own country. These opinions arise not only personal interviews, but According to Nikkei, Also of marriage advice and palpable samples on social networks, where testimonies and publications of happy couples that portray their joint life abound.

New globalized romance. There is much more, since in the heat of this trend they have emerged specialized services that facilitate these unions. Applications to match Japanese with South Koreans, online games, social networks and marriage agencies have turned what was previously an occasional crossing into an increasingly common path.

Hanny Marriagefor example, it is a company founded in 2024 by a married Japanese with a South Korean who met in language exchanges, and that detected a growing demand for South Korean men interested in marrying with Japanese women. The previous experience of religious agencies such as The Church of Unification In the 1980s and 1990s it has been replaced by more modern forms, mediated by technology and by business initiatives with cultural sensitivity.

History with deep roots. He marriage exchange Between Japan and South Korea it has Historical history complexes, from Korean marriages with Japanese at the time of Japanese economic boom, to organized group weddings For religious sects. That said, what distinguishes the current phenomenon is its voluntary, individualized and mediated character For pop culture.

What began as an admiration for idols and dramas has become a wave of human connections that demolish ancient barriers. The presence of reality shows as Premarital Lovewhere we see group quotes between Korean men and Japanese women, it is another sample of how this type of relationship is not only accepted, but celebrated and even commercially driven.

In a context where demography and the fall of marriages They worry to both countriesthese unions represent a Unexpected ray of hope, both for those who are looking for a couple and for those who want history between Japan and Korea to advance in a more optimistic tone.

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