Japanese character Chiikawa finds a growing fan base among Korean adults

Early in the morning, hours before the mall opens, people line up at Yongsan Station in central Seoul — not for the trains but for merchandise featuring viral characters from the Japanese manga series "Chiikawa." At the first and only official Chiikawa store in South Korea, fans in their 20s and 30s wait for hours to buy plush toys, key rings, phone cases, stationery and other goods featuring the characters: Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi and more. The name Chiikawa comes from the Japanese words "ch