<sod>In 2002, ''[[Winter Sonata]]'' (produced by Korean channel [[KBS2]]) became the first drama to equal the success of ''Meteor Garden'', attracting a [[cult following]] in Asia. Sales of merchandise, including DVD sets and novels, surpassed US$3.5 million in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Claire|title=Remembering 'Winter Sonata,' the start of hallyu|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20111230000497|publisher=''[[The Korea Herald]]''|accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> This drama marked the initial entrance of the Korean Wave in Japan.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=edH5Aeb-epgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=korean+wave&ots=FipIE-HIZE&sig=ycob8Ws7MfxVR2pUJ3e9o_B35aQ#v=onepage&q=winter%20sonata&f=false|title=East Asian Pop Culture: Analysing the Korean Wave|last=Chua|first=Beng Huat|last2=Iwabuchi|first2=Koichi|date=2008-02-01|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|isbn=9789622098923|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://central.oak.go.kr/journallist/journaldetail.do?article_seq=18773&tabname=abst&resource_seq=-1&keywords=null|title=The Korean Wave (Hallyu) in East Asia: A Comparison of Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese Audiences Who Watch Korean TV Dramas|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref> In 2004, former Japanese Prime Minister [[Junichiro Koizumi]] noted that the male protagonist of the drama was "more popular than I am in Japan".<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Claire|title=Remembering 'Winter Sonata,' the start of hallyu|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20111230000497|publisher=''[[The Korea Herald]]''|accessdate=26 December 2012|quote=The show's popularity in Japan was surprising to many, including the producer Yoon Suk-ho and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who in 2004 famously said, "Bae Yong-joon is more popular than I am in Japan."}}</ref> Other Korean dramas released in subsequent years such as ''[[Dae Jang Geum]]'' (2003) and ''[[Full House (2004 TV series)|Full House]]'' (2004) saw comparable levels of success.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee (이)|first=Hang-soo (항수)|title=홍콩인들 "이영애·송혜교 가장 좋아"|url=http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/08/11/2008081101672.html|work=Chosun Ilbo (in Korean)|accessdate=2 April 2013}}</ref><eod>
<sod>In 2002, ''[[Winter Sonata]]'' (produced by Korean channel [[KBS2]]) became the first drama to equal the success of ''Meteor Garden'', attracting a [[cult following]] in Asia. Sales of merchandise, including DVD sets and novels, surpassed US$3.5 million in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Claire|title=Remembering 'Winter Sonata,' the start of hallyu|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20111230000497|publisher=''[[The Korea Herald]]''|accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref> This drama marked the initial entrance of the Korean Wave in Japan.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=edH5Aeb-epgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=korean+wave&ots=FipIE-HIZE&sig=ycob8Ws7MfxVR2pUJ3e9o_B35aQ#v=onepage&q=winter%20sonata&f=false|title=East Asian Pop Culture: Analysing the Korean Wave|last=Chua|first=Beng Huat|last2=Iwabuchi|first2=Koichi|date=2008-02-01|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|isbn=9789622098923|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://central.oak.go.kr/journallist/journaldetail.do?article_seq=18773&tabname=abst&resource_seq=-1&keywords=null|title=The Korean Wave (Hallyu) in East Asia: A Comparison of Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese Audiences Who Watch Korean TV Dramas|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcti.re.kr/webdata/newweb/reportEng/file/report1_200512.pdf|title=A Study of Japanese Consumers of the Korean Wave|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref> In 2004, former Japanese Prime Minister [[Junichiro Koizumi]] noted that the male protagonist of the drama was "more popular than I am in Japan".<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Claire|title=Remembering 'Winter Sonata,' the start of hallyu|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20111230000497|publisher=''[[The Korea Herald]]''|accessdate=26 December 2012|quote=The show's popularity in Japan was surprising to many, including the producer Yoon Suk-ho and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who in 2004 famously said, "Bae Yong-joon is more popular than I am in Japan."}}</ref> Other Korean dramas released in subsequent years such as ''[[Dae Jang Geum]]'' (2003) and ''[[Full House (2004 TV series)|Full House]]'' (2004) saw comparable levels of success.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee (이)|first=Hang-soo (항수)|title=홍콩인들 "이영애·송혜교 가장 좋아"|url=http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/08/11/2008081101672.html|work=Chosun Ilbo (in Korean)|accessdate=2 April 2013}}</ref><eod>