Behind K-Pop Demon Hunters Syndrome : Koreanism
Last weekend, I enjoyed watching the Netflix movie 'K-Pop Demon Hunters (KDH)' with my children.It was a 'gift set' full of Korean culture, including the familiar scenery of Seoul in the anime, the lifestyle and food of Koreans, the familiar girl group Huntrix, Namdol (Saja Voice) wearing a lampshade with the concept of the 'Grim Reaper', the tiger and magpie inspired by Korean traditional folk tales, the Ilwol Obondo symbolizing the king, the indoor scenery overlooking the Han River, the fortress road of Naksan Park in Dongseong-dong, and cup noodles.This animation, which is all 'Korean', was not made in Korea. It is an American film made in the United States with American capital. It was produced by 'Sony Pictures', which became a masterpiece animation studio with its unique mise-en-scène and directing while making Spider-Man, and it is quickly spreading to homes and smartphones around the world on the global streaming platform Netflix. It is a film directed by Korean director Maggie Kang, who was born in Korea, immigrated to Toronto, Canada, graduated from college in the United States, and works for a famous animation studio. Since its release, KDH has been ranked No. 1 on Netflix in 26 countries and has entered the top 10 in 93 countries. The OST album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest-performing soundtrack released this year . This shows that Kedeheon is becoming a global cultural phenomenon beyond just a content success.