Sun-hye Hwang: Building a Bridge for International Cultural Exchange

2021/05/24

This year marks my 19th year living in Japan. Before coming to Japan, I produced documentaries and information programs at a Korean television station, but I decided to study abroad in Japan as a new challenge in my life. In 2002, the year I began my life as an international student, the FIFA World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, and I deeply felt the cultural exchange between the two countries through sports. This had a significant impact on me, and I hoped that in the future, I could do work related to international exchange between Japan and Korea through some medium.

The next path I chose was that of a content producer. I was involved in the content distribution business, primarily securing rights for Korean dramas, variety shows, and movies to manufacture and sell packages, as well as creating original programs and managing channel programming. Looking back now, I can say that I fulfilled my dream by transforming soccer into dramas and movies, and international exchange into international distribution.

Meanwhile, while working for 15 years, I became convinced that if we combined the excellent "things" (koto) of both Japan and Korea, we could surely create "products" (mono) that would resonate globally. To that end, the next step I chose was the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) Japan Business Center. KOCCA is a national administrative agency that implements cultural content industry policies in Korea. Its overseas branches aim to collect local information and expand networking to promote the overseas expansion of Korean content through various measures.

Since 2018, as Director, I have strived to realize Japan-Korea collaboration across all genres. For one animation project, the story and theme song were Korean, the visuals were Japanese, and the distribution was via a global platform. I believe this is true industrial exchange that can only be achieved through collaboration. Triggered by the World Cup, the "Hallyu" (Korean Wave) movement emerged in Japan, and today Korean culture has become so deeply embedded that it is referred to as the fourth Hallyu wave. However, I believe that the progressive cultural industry exchange between the two countries lies not in unilaterally conveying the merits of Korean content, but in business development through mutual collaboration.

Recently, there has been high interest again in Korean dramas, K-POP, movies, and even food and fashion. I am happy that there are many young people who proudly say they like the cultures of both countries regardless of political or historical issues. To help these young people practice the importance of multicultural coexistence and international cultural exchange in society, I will continue to act as a bridge between Japan and Korea with the goal of nurturing global talent.