Director Maggie Kang’s Love for Korean Culture and 9-Year Journey Behind the Success of “KPop Demon Hunters”

The success of Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” released on June 20, stemmed from the directors’ genuine approach to Korean culture. Canadian-Korean director Maggie Kang explained, “I didn’t initially intend to create a K-pop movie. I wanted to make an animation based on Korean culture, and as I developed the story, I thought it would be cool to feature evil spirits in the design.” Kang added, “I viewed images like guardians of the afterlife, goblins, and water spirits as original elements not seen in foreign projects, and I also considered how to introduce changes to the common superhero genre.” She further stated, “I wanted to incorporate Korean elements into every scene and every design to create a film that felt as authentic to Korea as possible.” The film took 9 years to produce. The protagonist Rumi was originally created by Kang’s partner, story artist, and animator Radford Sekhrist, who had developed the character for another project. Sekhrist is best known for creating “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.” The director was also inspired by Bong Joon-ho’s films. Maggie Kang said, “We tried to do the same in our movie—juggling various tones as Bong Joon-ho does in his films, being both very light and comedic while simultaneously dark and delicate.” The details reflect thorough research into Korean culture and history. The protagonists eat gukbap and visit traditional Korean medicine clinics when they are unwell. Evil spirits are defeated against the backdrop of Namsan Seoul Tower and Naksan Park’s fortress path, with cars parked freely in no-parking zones. The film also includes proper restaurant etiquette such as using napkins and placing utensils correctly. There is also a deep understanding of K-pop culture itself. Junior idol groups refer to them in Korean as “hubae,” and the idol industry structure, where fan loyalty directly translates into money, forms an important foundation of the story. The “Sajaboyz,” who play the role of evil spirits in the film, sing attractive songs and dance to lure the souls of Huntrix fans. These fans, who are captivated by them, resemble real-life fandom members who stream content and spend money on albums, merchandise, and promotional items. Real K-pop idol songs such as those by Dooz, EXO, and TWICE also play in the film. The music was prepared even more meticulously. The Double Black Label, owned by legendary producer Teddy Park—who has worked with K-pop stars like BIGBANG, G-Dragon, BLACKPINK, and 2NE1—was responsible for composing the music. The production team created detailed documents for the composers, outlining scenes, characters’ emotions, and the reasons behind them, allowing the composers to write lyrics that incorporated these elements along with K-pop musical structures. EJAE (Kim Eun-jae), who composed the song for the protagonist Rumi, is a composer who was once a Trainee at SM and has written major tracks such as REDVELVET’s “Psycho” and aespa’s “Amagetdon.” The popularity of the film lies in the combination of fresh themes and universal storytelling. The narrative about a fictional three-member K-pop girl group, Huntrix, acting as heroes who hunt evil spirits outside the stage, is a unique story that merges K-pop with Korean folk beliefs, something unseen in Korea before. On the global film review site Rotten Tomatoes, “KPop Demon Hunters” achieved a freshness rating of 96%, which is higher than “Squid Game 3” (85%) and “Substance,” which won the Cannes Film Festival’s screenplay award (89%). The film is praised for giving content emotional depth by portraying spirits not as mere “evil” but as entities carrying unresolved stories and unaddressed emotions. Meanwhile, various interpretations have emerged regarding the film’s success. Some analyze that it is important to create animations based on Korean culture while infusing designs and intentions with the true spirit of Korea, as the songs and voice actors in the film are Korean celebrities such as TWICE and Ahn Hyo-seop, and most of the composers and lyricists are key figures in K-pop. However, critical perspectives have also been raised. Questions arise about what the success of a fictional K-pop group means for the K-pop industry and cultural sovereignty. Additionally, there are concerns about how Asian men are portrayed in the film, as female characters are emphasized in the plot while male idol characters are depicted as demons.