'Descendants of the Sun' to go to air in Japan

By Park Si-soo

KBS TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun” will go to air in Japan.

According to news reports, the Korean broadcaster recently signed a contract to sell the 16-episode drama to a Japanese broadcaster for $100,000 per episode. The Japanese buyer is unknown.

Industry insiders welcome the news, raising expectations that this deal could lead to a full-fledged resumption of imports of Korean TV dramas and shows by Japanese TV stations.

Japanese broadcasters have been reluctant to import Korean TV content for years due to chilly diplomatic ties, caused by conflicting views on Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, comfort women and other historic issues.