Netflix’s “KPOP Demon Hunters” Rewrites K-Pop History... Girl Group Reaches Billboard No. 1 for First Time in 24 Years

Netflix’s animated film “KPOP Demon Hunters” is reshaping the global popular culture landscape. The title track of this work, “Golden,” reached No. 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart on the 1st, and then claimed the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart on the 11th. This is the first time a K-pop song performed by a female singer has topped Billboard, and it is also the first instance of a K-pop track dominating charts in both the UK and the U.S. The achievement is even more remarkable because it involves a fictional girl group taking over real-world charts. Within five weeks of release, the track accumulated 68.2 million streams and 72,000 downloads, with weekly streaming figures in the UK exceeding 9.8 million. “Golden” reached No. 1 in the UK for the first time in 13 years since Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” setting a record that surpasses even “Let It Go” from “Frozen.” The film also performed exceptionally well on Netflix. Since its release on June 20, it has been streamed over 26 million times per week for four consecutive weeks, resulting in a total of 184.6 million views and 376 million hours watched. These figures place it second among all Netflix films ever, on par with “Red Notice” (230.9 million views), and it is expected to soon overtake that record as well. The success of “KPOP Demon Hunters” stems from the organic integration of music, fandoms, and storytelling. Director Maggie Kang, a Korean-Canadian, stated that she was inspired by BTS’s “Butter” gaining worldwide popularity during the pandemic, and from the planning stage, the project targeted women aged 10 to 20—the main consumer group in the K-pop industry. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), U.S. K-pop fans spend 75% more on music monthly than average listeners, and their engagement in social media, purchase of merchandise, and attendance at concerts also far exceeds averages. The film naturally incorporates elements of Korean daily life such as kimbap, saunas, hanbok, and hanoks. The production team conducted thorough research to authentically depict Korean traditions and daily life, offering a fresh cultural experience to fans both at home and abroad. In particular, a scene where the members of HUNTR/X receive body wash services in a public bath became highly popular, leading to a nearly 90% increase in sales at body wash shops in areas like Myeongdong compared to the previous month. This phenomenon spread throughout K-culture. In the U.S., kimbap and tteokbokki became widely recognized snacks through short-form video platforms, while jjimjilbangs, K-beauty, and K-fashion expanded as forms of entertainment among Gen Z. According to booking.com, global searches for Seoul and Busan increased by 30% and 50%, respectively, in June—the month when many K-pop concerts took place—compared to the same period last year. Professor Seong Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women’s University commented that the public baths depicted in “KPOP Demon Hunters” gained attention as travel content, contributing to the expansion of tourism resources. The tiger and magpie characters in the film also turned out to be “merchandise stars.” As K-pop fandoms tend to purchase related products, even the National Museum of Korea benefited indirectly. The museum sees long queues forming an hour before opening on weekends, with visitor numbers increasing by about 92% compared to the same period last year. The government has also identified “KPOP Demon Hunters” as a flagship example of “Hallyu 4.0.” President Yoon Suk-yeol’s chief of staff, Kang Hun-sik, said, “After Phase 1 centered on dramas, Phase 2 marked the expansion of K-pop and dramas, Phase 3 involved the growth of global platforms, and now Phase 4 has arrived, where the entire industry integrates and real-time cultural exchanges occur. This trend represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” According to the Korea Content Agency, global sales of K-pop-related IP projects have grown at an average annual rate of 17% over the past five years. The Washington Post evaluated that “KPOP Demon Hunters” created a consumption structure that connects films, music, merchandise, and tourism, indicating that K-culture is evolving from a “export product” to a “shared culture.” This success, achieved by global capital leveraging Korea’s cultural DNA, calls for the K-pop industry to assume the role of “worldview designer.”