A scene from “KPop Demon Hunters” is seen in this image provided by Netflix.
SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Netflix’s animated breakout KPop Demon Hunters has done more than dominate streaming charts. With its triumph at the Grammy Awards, the film has carried Korean culture deeper into the global mainstream, affirming the expanding reach of K-pop beyond music and into cinema’s highest honors.
At a premiere ceremony of the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, the film’s original song “Golden” won Best Song Written for Visual Media — the first time a K-pop–based soundtrack has ever been nominated for, let alone won, a Grammy. The moment marked a watershed for an industry long celebrated by fans but only recently embraced by the Western cultural establishment.
The film itself is a carefully constructed cultural hybrid. Set in Seoul, KPop Demon Hunters follows Huntr/x, a fictional girl group that battles supernatural forces through music.
Along the way, the animation folds traditional Korean imagery into a glossy contemporary aesthetic: hanbok-inspired costumes, folkloric tiger and magpie figures, traditional medicine clinics, neon-lit streets and the everyday rituals of Korean street food. Since its release, these details have drawn international fascination, transforming the film into both a pop spectacle and a cultural ambassador.
The KPop Demon Hunters original soundtrack album on display at Kyobo Book Centre’s Hottracks Gwanghwamun store in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Its commercial success has been staggering. Within six months, the film surpassed 500 million views, becoming the most-watched title in Netflix history. That popularity spilled far beyond the screen, spawning sold-out sing-along screenings across the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, and driving Halloween costume sales modeled on the film’s characters.
The ripple effects reached Korea itself. The National Museum of Korea recorded more than six million visitors this year — its highest total since opening eight decades ago — while sales of its official merchandise line surged, buoyed by renewed interest sparked by the film.
The soundtrack proved just as influential. “Golden,” performed by Korean American artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight nonconsecutive weeks and led Britain’s Official Singles Chart for 10.
The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while other tracks — including “Takedown,” “Soda Pop,” “How It’s Done” and “What It Sounds Like” — crowded the upper reaches of the charts simultaneously.
A still cut from K-Pop Demon Hunters. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
Behind the music was a constellation of K-pop industry veterans, including Teddy — a producer closely associated with BIGBANG and BLACKPINK — along with Kush, Vince, 24 and Ido of The Black Label. Ejae, who co-wrote and performed “Golden,” previously trained at SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s most influential labels.
On Sunday, Ejae, Teddy, 24 and Ido were officially named Grammy winners for “Golden,” marking the first time K-pop producers or songwriters have claimed the award. While Korean recording engineers and Korean American artists have won Grammys before, the victory represented a new milestone for K-pop creators themselves.
The accolades may not stop there. KPop Demon Hunters has also earned two Academy Award nominations — for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song — ahead of next month’s Oscars ceremony.
For cultural observers, the film’s success underscores a broader shift.
Saja Boys from K-Pop Demon Hunters (Image source: YouTube capture from ‘Netflix Korea’ video)
“This work shows how local tradition and global production can merge into a single cultural phenomenon,” said Jung Duk-hyun, a Korean culture critic. “It expands the meaning of K-content beyond projects made solely with domestic capital, signaling a new phase in Korea’s cultural globalization.”
What began as an animated experiment has become something larger: a reminder that Korean culture, once considered niche, now speaks fluently — and award-winningly — to the world.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
