A New Wave of Hallyu
An American-produced animation steeped in Korean culture, ‘K-Pop: Demon Hunters’, has become a global sensation, driving a significant new tourism boom for South Korea. However, as reported by Nikkei Asia and other foreign media, its explosive popularity has also ignited a fierce debate within the country about the ownership of cultural content.
The film, which follows the story of a K-pop trio who sing on stage by day and fight demons by night, began streaming on Netflix in June. As of the 18th, it had amassed a staggering 314.2 million cumulative views, surpassing the previous record holder for the first 91 days on the platform, the Korean drama ‘Squid Game’ Season 1. The film’s success has crossed over into the music industry, with four of its songs, including the hit ‘Golden’, entering the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In the UK, ‘Golden’ also climbed high in the charts, contributing to 236 million video views by the end of August.
The Economic Ripple Effect
The phenomenon, dubbed the ‘Demon Hunters Effect’, is having a tangible impact on travel. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the city welcomed 1.36 million foreign tourists, a 23% increase year-on-year and, significantly, an 18% rise compared to the same month in pre-pandemic 2019. In the UK, Google searches for “South Korea holiday” surged by 40% following the film’s premiere. The travel company Wayfairer Travel reported a 17% increase in inquiries for bespoke trips to Korea this year compared to last.
Foods featured in the animation, such as gimbap, gimmari, and ramyeon, have seen a spike in interest, and filming locations like N Seoul Tower, Bukchon Hanok Village, and Naksan Park have become must-see tourist spots. This has prompted commercial tie-ins, with food giant Nongshim announcing a collaboration with Netflix in August for products appearing in the film. Betty Bouche-Hobin of Destination2 noted, “The explosive growth of K-pop via Netflix has taken cultural experiences to another level. We’re seeing families book long-haul trips to South Korea thanks to their children’s obsession with K-pop.”
A Question of Cultural Ownership
Despite its Korean themes, ‘K-Pop: Demon Hunters’ is technically a foreign production. Created by Korean-Canadian director Maggie Kang and produced by US-based Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, its origins have prompted a debate in South Korea. Some critics argue it isn’t authentic ‘K-content’, contributing nothing to Korean profits and potentially weakening the competitiveness of domestic productions.
Director Maggie Kang, who was born in Korea and moved to Canada as a child, has emphasised her commitment to her heritage. “During the production process, we visited locations in Korea and wove in a lot of Korean culture and customs,” she stated. “I will continue to strive to incorporate my Korean identity into my creative work.” Her detailed approach, which captures everything from city landmarks to subtle cultural habits like placing cutlery on a napkin in a gukbap restaurant, has been widely praised.
Some analysts suggest that Kang’s perspective as a member of the diaspora was key to the film’s authentic feel. Music critic Kim Young-dae noted that historically, some Korean media aimed at a global audience was “riddled with a certain inferiority complex and fear,” leading creators to strip out Korean elements to create something more “nationless.” Kang, he argues, had to “consciously negotiate and contemplate her ethnic identity as an immigrant,” allowing her to portray the culture in rich, unapologetic detail.
The Future of Hallyu and Challenges at Home
The success of a foreign-made production has led experts to question the sustainability of the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, and the health of the domestic creative industry. Opinions are divided. Professor Kim Ik-sang of Seoil University is optimistic, suggesting, “For teenagers in the 1960s and 70s, American content was supreme. For today’s youth globally, it’s natural that Korean content is at the top. Talk of a Hallyu crisis might just be the worry of an older generation like myself.”
However, others, like Cho Young-shin, CEO of C&X Media Research Institute, are more cautious. “The recent wave of content, including ‘Demon Hunters’, comes from projects initiated 5-6 years ago when Korean culture was seen as particularly hip and new,” he commented. “Will this trend of using Korean elements continue? I believe it won’t.”
Regardless of its future trajectory, many experts agree that the domestic creative environment in South Korea faces significant challenges. The market has a tendency to channel funds towards a small number of proven creators and established stars, with investment in new talent and experimental projects remaining relatively scarce. The expansion of global streaming giants like Netflix has inflated production costs and appearance fees, making investors more risk-averse and worsening this concentration of resources.
Kim Yoon-ji, a senior researcher at the Export-Import Bank of Korea, remarked, “If we had proposed a project like ‘Demon Hunters’ seven or eight years ago, could we have secured investment? It’s highly likely it would have been rejected everywhere. The fear of a single project failing makes it difficult to invest boldly.” The consensus among critics is that for the Hallyu wave to be truly sustainable, the industry must foster an environment where new talent can be discovered, supported, and allowed to take creative risks—much like Sony and Netflix did with a film packed with Korean elements that might have once been considered too unfamiliar for a global audience.
