K-drama classic 'Winter Sonata' returns to Japan 24 years after debut
"Winter Sonata," the Korean drama that first sparked the Korean wave in Japan, is returning to the big screen Friday. According to Japanese media outlets including Sports Hochi, the production team has reedited the 1,400‑minute TV series into a two‑hour 4K remastered film. Originally aired on KBS in 2002, the drama, starring Bae Yong‑joon and Choi Ji‑woo, captivated audiences with its wistful tale of first love, recording an average viewership rating of 23.1 percent. When NHK broadcast the series in Japan the following year, it swept the nation and came to symbolize the beginning of Japan’s fervor for Korean pop culture. Its lead actor Bae — affectionately called “Yonsama” by Japanese fans — became an icon of that era and a defining face of the early Korean wave boom. At a special preview event in Tokyo, director Yoon Seok‑ho described "Winter Sonata" as “a story about reclaiming the memory of one’s first love,” adding, “Just as viewers were able to rediscover those emotions twenty years ago, I hope the film once again evokes that feeling.” Misato Tanaka, the
