Have you ever thought while watching Korean variety shows, "This seems familiar?"

In fact, the phenomenon of Korean variety shows referencing or following Japanese formats is not new and has been around for quite some time.

From the perspective of 2026, it is more accurate to view this as a trend created by the intertwining of the broadcasting industry structure and cultural tendencies.

First, let's touch on history briefly. During the 1980s and 90s, when Korean broadcasting was establishing its system, the country that the producers referenced the most was Japan.

At that time, Japan already had the most advanced variety formats in Asia. So, the basic framework of Korean variety shows was naturally created by benchmarking Japanese programs, thinking, "Let's learn from those who do it well."

Since the opening of Japanese popular culture in 1998, it has almost become a norm to officially import popular Japanese variety formats or slightly modify them to fit Korean sentiments.

From the perspective of Korean broadcasters, it is much safer to bring in reality variety or observational formats that have already been proven successful in Japan than to create a completely new format from scratch.

It's easier to attach advertisements and predict viewership ratings. Moreover, Korea and Japan share similar social sentiments regarding family culture, workplace culture, and human relationships, so themes that work in Japan generally resonate in Korea as well.

We are familiar with... love stories, living alone, and visiting popular restaurants.

There is also a significant influence from Japan in the direction of shows. Techniques like filling the screen with subtitles while showing the participant's face in the corner to display reactions all originated from Japanese variety shows. Before the 90s, there were even columns mocking Japanese broadcasts for having subtitles that viewers couldn't read.

However, upon entering Korea, these techniques became more elaborate and evolved quickly into the current Korean variety style.

Recently, trends like 'spicy variety shows' with extreme punishments or provocative games that are popular on YouTube and OTT platforms have also been heavily influenced by Japanese variety sensibilities.

It's good news that Korea is no longer just following Japan. The K-variety format, which combines Korean directing skills, capital, and star systems, is increasingly being exported back to Japan or created as joint productions between Korea and Japan. Especially with global OTT platforms like Netflix at the center, both countries are mixing their strengths to target the world market.

So, while it may feel like Korean variety shows resemble Japanese ones these days, it seems more realistic to view this as a stage where Korea and Japan are growing together, influencing each other over time.