One in two Japanese university students and job seekers wants to work for a South Korean company, a survey showed, a shift attributed to the country's growing economy and the positive image spread by the Korean Wave.
In the "2026 Survey on Employment Attitudes Among Japanese University Students and Job Seekers," released on the 21st by the Tokyo office of the Korea International Trade Association, 50.8% said they wanted to work at a Korean company operating in Japan. Of those, 19.5% said they strongly wanted to, while 31.3% said they somewhat wanted to.
Interest extended beyond Korean firms in Japan, with 46.1% saying they wanted to work in Korea itself. That included 19.5% who strongly wanted to and 26.6% who somewhat wanted to — roughly double the 23.3% who said they had no interest.
Understanding of Korean companies lagged behind that interest. Only 39.1% said they knew Korean companies well (7.7%) or somewhat well (31.3%). The largest group, 56.2%, said they had only heard of them, indicating they had no more than superficial information.
The trade association said the positive image formed through Korean popular culture, including K-pop and television dramas, has not translated sufficiently into knowledge of individual companies.
Asked what they viewed most positively about Korean companies, with multiple answers allowed, 70.4% cited progress in globalization. That was followed by rapid growth, at 38.4%, and an energetic, challenge-driven culture, at 33.7%.
The most commonly cited negative perception was intense competition, at 74.1%, followed by hierarchical, top-down culture at 65.7% and job insecurity at 24.9%.
Respondents' preferred fields were concentrated in culture and services, including the arts, sports and tourism, at 55.2%, and in marketing and planning roles, at 44.8%. Asked what they consider when choosing an employer, with multiple answers allowed, 73.1% pointed to the nature of the work, followed by pay and benefits at 72.1% and holidays and leave at 62.3%, both tied to working conditions.
The trade association recommended that Korean companies provide detailed recruitment information, including Korean-language requirements, working conditions and dedicated hiring procedures, to attract talented Japanese workers. It added that firms should adjust their hiring timelines to match Japan's recruitment calendar for university graduates.
The online survey covered 297 respondents, including users of Job Japan, a Japanese job site that carries many listings from Korean companies, and students enrolled in Korean-language departments at Japanese universities.