Abstract
This paper discusses messages posted on an Internet BBS that deals with a Korean TV mini-series broadcast in Japan, titled "Winter Love Song." Based upon ethnography and content analysis, the paper shows that the intercultural group of message-posters evolved into a cohesive one that embraced shared rules and styles of communication, where participants regarded other members as close friends or members of a family. What brought about this cohesiveness was their 'fantasy' of sharing emotions; central to this was their love of and devotion to the drama, and the belief that only these participants on the Internet forum would truly understand their infatuation. The analysis shows that exposure to the Korean drama made the Japanese members pro-Korean, suggesting that the broadcast of the Korean drama had a positive effect on Japan-Korea intercultural communication.
