Thank You for the Music

After World War II ended, and with it Japan's 36-year occupation of the Korean peninsula, a sturdy bamboo curtain descended in the Sea of Japan. South Korea banned the import of just about all things Japanese, from transistors to seaweed. Most of those restrictions were retired upon diplomatic normalization in 1965, but one was maintained: South Koreans were not allowed to buy Japanese pop music, view Japanese films or otherwise enjoy Japan's rising output of popular culture.

The curtain is finally lifting. Last week Seoul announced the ban would be removed on Jan. 1, 2004 (although a decision on TV shows and animated films is still pending). Culture and Tourism Minister Lee Chang Dong declared that "brisk cultural exchange between Korea and Japan is the shortcut to increasing mutual understanding."

In recent years, keeping out Japanese culture has been justified on the grounds of protecting public morals and shielding the domestic entertainment industry. But Korean films and music have come of age both artistically and commercially, and have little to fear from Japan. "[Lifting the ban] will help boost the Korean film industry's competitiveness," predicts Choi Yong Chol, a professor of film studies at Seoul's Hanyang University. Says Hide Saida, director of international marketing in Asia for Sony Music: "We've been waiting for this for a long time." Sony estimates that revenues in Asia for the Japanese music industry could rise by 40%, or nearly $40 million. Probable losers: Korea's backward erotic-film industry, which may not be able to match Japan's exotic blue videos. South Koreans are about to taste all sorts of formerly forbidden fruits.