A scene from KBS drama “Winter Sonata” / Courtesy of KBS
“Winter Sonata,” the Korean drama that sparked Japan’s first great wave of hallyu, Korean Wave, 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 hallyu 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 voice actress who dubbed Choi’s role in the Japanese version, said the film would resonate even with viewers new to the series.
“It felt like rediscovering a treasure from the past,” she said. “I’m thrilled to see on the big screen a work that became a turning point in my career.”
Japanese film critics have praised the upcoming release for its “crystalline winter landscapes that television could never capture” and for offering “a cinematic experience of shedding tears together in the dark.”
The remastered edition, they added, is “a singular Winter Sonata dedicated to Japanese fans,” heightening anticipation ahead of its premiere.
AloJapan.com