Director Maggie Kang Says Authenticity and Confidence in Korean Culture Are Keys to Success at Seoul Press Conference

Maggie Kang, the Canadian of Korean descent who directed Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” emphasized during a press conference in Seoul that the success of this series stemmed from authenticity and confidence in Korean culture. Kang stated, “Although it appears to follow a superhero narrative, its ultimate theme is ‘shame.’” She explained that the core storyline revolves around Rumi, the leader of the girl group HUNTR/X, feeling embarrassment and fear due to her mixed-heritage identity. Kang added, “I wanted to incorporate mature themes into superhero characters and visually stunning elements, driven by the belief that animation is not exclusive to children. When audiences connect emotionally with the characters’ inner worlds, a true emotional blockbuster is created.” The fusion of Korean Musok beliefs and K-pop highlights the series’ uniqueness. Kang said, “Good (Musok rituals) is like the first concert in our culture, and the tradition of using music and dance to drive away evil spirits naturally connects to K-pop stages.” In the series, HUNTR/X is portrayed as descendants of shamans, seamlessly integrating Musok beliefs with female-centric narratives. The meticulous attention to Korean cultural details also received praise. Kang noted, “Many Korean-related content pieces produced abroad have caused offense due to inaccurate portrayals. For this series, we focused heavily on accurately depicting Korean specifics such as placing napkins under cutlery, public bath culture, and scenes of eating kimbap.” This effort is credited with enabling English-speaking audiences to accept the series naturally by using Western mythology as a base culture while adding Korean culture as a supplementary element. The music production process was equally challenging. “Golden,” the song that captures Rumi’s aspirations and conveys the growth stories of all characters, was described as “the most difficult song to compose.” Kang recalled, “It took 7 to 8 drafts to finalize the version, and I cried when I heard it for the first time.” Kang’s creative philosophy boils down to the message that “for Korean content to gain greater love in global markets, we must confidently showcase our culture and perspectives without hiding them.” She stressed, “Audiences want authenticity. The moment creators deliver sincerity, that becomes the key to success.” On this project, which took 7 years from initial pitching to completion, she reiterated that “the longest-lasting part was developing the story, as it is ultimately the narrative that moves audiences.” Regarding future plans, she said, “If a sequel is made, I would like to include various Korean music genres such as trot and heavy metal.” She explained that her personal experience of preserving Korean culture after immigrating to Canada served as the driving force behind the series’ identity and its ability to resonate globally.