South Korean views of Japan turned positive for the first time in sixteen years
Psychology
After sixteen years of diplomatic frost, a surge in cultural exchange has finally tipped the scales of public opinion between these two historical rivals.
For the first time since 2005, a majority of South Koreans view their neighbor across the sea with a positive lens. This thaw reverses a long-standing trend where ninety percent of the population held unfavorable views of Japan, fueled by deep-seated historical grievances stemming from the 1910 annexation. The shift is largely driven by a generation that consumes Japanese culture as readily as their own.