‘KPop Demon Hunters’ reinvents Korean culture through a distinctively K-pop lens

Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s “KPop Demon Hunters” is the latest sensation making waves — not only for its high-energy visuals, but also for its nuanced and largely authentic portrayal of Korean culture, both historical and contemporary.

The animated film has achieved a feat that quite a few projects in the past have struggled with: presenting tradition in a modern context while avoiding misrepresentation.

In a way, “KPop Demon Hunters” follows in the footsteps of many K-pop idols and creators who have long experimented with weaving traditional motifs of its motherland into contemporary elements — reimagining its cultural roots through a distinctively K-pop lens.

Among the most talked-about examples as of late is boy band VIXX’s “Shangri-La” (2017) — known for its hanbok (traditional Korean dress)-inspired costumes, unmistakably Korean aesthetics and the distinctive sound of the gayageum (12-string zither) in the song.

The members of Saja Boys, the main villains of “KPop Demon Hunters,” took to the stage to perform “Your Idol” in modernized hanbok and gat (traditional male hat), reminding many K-pop fans of VIXX’s iconic performance of “Shangri-La,” which featured traditional fans in the choreography.

Several real-life idol groups cited by “KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang as inspirations for fictional acts HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have previously explored similar ground.

BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids and Ateez, at various points in their careers, have heavily drawn on Korea’s traditions, whether through music video, stage costumes, choreography or songs.

BTS member Suga’s solo single “Daechwita” (2020) sampled a performance of daechwita, a traditional Korean military march, which was performed by the National Gugak Center.

Stray Kids’ “Thunderous” (2021) — titled “sorikkun” in Korean, a term referring to a singer in Korean traditional music — layered traditional sounds into its chorus, and its music video was set against the backdrop of classical Korean palace-like architecture at a filming location as well.

Blackpink members wore modernized hanbok in the group’s 2020 hit “How You Like That,” and its more recent release “Pink Venom” (2022) had geomungo (six-string zither) in its opening.

Yet such contemporary reinvention of traditional motifs must also grapple with the responsibility of historical accuracy, risking misrepresenting Korean culture if not done carefully.

Blackpink, for example, faced online backlash for the hanbok-inspired costumes the members wore in the “How you like that” music video. Some critics argued that the modernized version of hanbok distorted and misrepresented the Korean dress and looked rather like the Japanese kimono, despite the fact that the costumes’ intricate patterns and silhouettes were rooted in classical hanbok design.

But as online scrutiny of the use of such motifs in entertainment has been constant, others argue that excessive pushback could suffocate the growth of Korean culture.

“We might be caught up in an argument over the originality of hanbok forever if we remain obsessed with rigid historical accuracy,” wrote one user on social media platform X on June 22, referring to the historical accuracy of “KPop Demon Hunters.”

Korean culture “needs to be famous first,” the user continued. “People are asking too much.”

The message had been reposted more than 10,000 times with 12,800 likes as of press time on June 27.

Experts, meanwhile, say that what “Kpop Demon Hunters” got right was the solid, respectful understanding of Korea that underlies its bold creative vision.

“What matters more is whether [‘KPop Demon Hunters’] incorporated Korean motifs such as folklore with genuine understanding and nuance, rather than whether those elements were recreated with strict historical accuracy,” said culture critic Jung Duk-hyun.

Lee Gyu-tag, an associate professor of cultural studies at George Mason University, also emphasized the need for bold reinventions of Korean culture to further expand the nation’s reach.

“Overseas consumers are drawn to Korean culture because of its distinctiveness, something that sets it apart from mainstream U.S. or global pop culture,” Lee noted. “But within Korea, that appeal is often narrowly associated only with the traditional aspects of Korean heritage.”

Lee cited “contemporary Korean-ness,” a blend of traditional elements and modern reinterpretation or recreation, as the version of Korean culture that can effectively resonate with the global audience.

“Excessively criticizing a modern reinterpretation of Korean culture for deviating from the original tradition misses the point, considering that such interpretation itself has the unique appeal and value of its own,” Lee added.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]