One Doesn’t Preclude the Other: Dissociation and the Conditional Reception of Japanese Culture among Young Koreans

Abstract

This article examines how young South Korean consumers of Japanese culture negotiate their cultural engagement in the context of longstanding historical and political tensions between Japan and South Korea. Despite deep admiration for Japanese cultural products, surveys and public opinion consistently show that political distrust and unresolved historical grievances remain prominent. Through twelve semi-structured interviews with Korean university students self-identified as “otaku”, this study finds that participants actively separate their appreciation of Japanese culture from their rejection of Japanese politics and wartime history. This “dissociation” enables the enjoyment of Japanese products while maintaining a critical stance toward the Japanese state, resulting in a conditional and highly filtered reception of culture. The findings further show that this reception is shaped by individual socio-political factors – including national education, political polarisation, generational narratives, and social pressure – which act as interpretive filters rather than determinants. At the same time, cultural engagement can trigger an iterative renegotiation of identity, softening general perceptions of Japan without translating into political alignment or historical forgiveness. By highlighting dissociation and identity renegotiation as key dynamics, this article contributes to understanding cultural reception in conflictual settings and challenges assumptions that cultural attraction naturally and directly fosters political rapprochement.