KPop Demon Hunters OST Dominates Global Charts, Offering New Model for Physical Distribution of Hallyu Content

Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” is establishing a new paradigm for the spread of Hallyu content in 2025. The original soundtrack (OST) for this work has seized control of major global charts, demonstrating Hallyu’s extensive international influence. The film’s key OST track, “Golden,” managed to stay on the UK Official Singles Chart for 27 consecutive weeks. According to the chart data from the 26th (local time), “Golden” dropped 14 places from the previous week to finish in 42nd position, but it still achieved the milestone of holding the number one spot for 10 non-consecutive weeks. This song, in which Korean-American singers Chris, Lay, D.O., Annie, Hyunji, Jihan, May, Kei, E-Tion, Hunter, Rowoon, and Hankook, along with Hyunjae and O.de, performed as the girl group HUNTR/X, has accumulated approximately 950 million views to date. On YouTube’s music video chart, “Golden” also remained an undisputed champion. Even during the Christmas season, it overtook Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” with 31.8 million views and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” with 25.1 million views, staying at the top with 3,580 million views. The track maintained its number one position for 14 consecutive weeks since it first appeared on the chart in September. Another OST from “KPop Demon Hunters,” titled “How It's Done,” also saw rising popularity as it debuted on the UK chart at position 81. According to analysis by the Korea Cultural Information Service, “KPop Demon Hunters” serves as a model example beyond mere musical success for the dissemination structure of Hallyu content. Dr. Lee Jun from the Department of Cultural Content at Hanyang University evaluated this work in a cultural information issue report, stating that a circular structure was formed involving digital dissemination, expanded participation, physical experiences, and enhanced brand value. Interest generated online expanded into real-world offline spaces such as collaborative exhibitions at Everland and the National Museum of Korea, as well as pop-up tours. It was confirmed that these physical experiences then fed back into digital content, interpretations, and fan engagement. Results from surveys of visitors to Everland revealed a trend where prior online interest and participation experiences increased satisfaction with offline experiences and understanding of the fictional universe, leading to a positive perception of the content’s intellectual property. Dr. Lee Jun emphasized, “Strong value creation is achieved only when a virtuous cycle of digital–physical–digital is intentionally designed. Establishing mechanisms that allow experiences in physical spaces to flow back into digital content, interpretations, and participation will be the key factor determining the sustainability of Hallyu expansion in the future.”