Within moments of taking the stage of the Pasha Club in the downtown Tokyo district of Nishi-Azabu, Drunken Tiger, a hip-hop duo from South Korea, had the trendy club-goers dancing frantically to its beat-heavy sound.

The band, whose Tokyo gig took place in November, is part of the K-pop scene, "K" standing for Korean.

Drunken Tiger and numerous other pop acts from South Korea are enjoying growing popularity in Japan. The trend coincides with recently heightened interest among the Japanese in their neighbor across the Sea of Japan, as the two countries prepare to cohost the 2002 World Cup soccer championship.