'Authenticity is key to K-content's future,' says 'KPop Demon Hunters' director
Director Maggie Kang, center, speaks during a press conference at a theater in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Netflix
Director Maggie Kang of Netflix's hit animated feature "KPop Demon Hunters" said the future of K-content will be even brighter if the Korean content industry, like her globally successful animation, makes a greater effort to showcase Korean culture without hiding it.
"We have to just be confident with our culture and just our point of view. I think, as a filmmaker, I know that anytime you think about what other people are going to think, and you kind of cater to an audience's opinions and not your own, it doesn't feel authentic," the Korean Canadian director said during a press conference in Seoul on Friday.
"And the audience knows that, they can smell it. They know exactly. They know that you're doing it, and it's not something that they want to see. They want authenticity."
Released on Netflix in June, "KPop Demon Hunters" has become the most-watched animated feature on the streaming platform and is on track to soon become its most-watched movie overall.
The film reimagines K-pop stars as demon slayers, with the members of the trio Huntrix — Rumi, Mira and Zoey — using the power of music to fight evil spirits. It is the first internationally produced animated feature to focus on K-pop.
Kang, whose recent visits to Korea have included activities like meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and a visit to the National Museum of Korea, said that she also made an effort to show untouched authenticity in her film. She believes that this is precisely what resonated deeply with fans and contributed to the movie's success.
"I tried to do that in this film as well. I didn't want to hide anything. I wanted to show our culture, but also my sensibilities exactly the way that I wanted to present it. And anytime you do that, it's really scary — and it could, it could go really badly — but the other side of it is that it can go very well, and I think that's the reason why our film has been successful," she said.
"I think that's really the only way that K-content can reach an even broader audience and become even more global than it is right now."
Director Maggie Kang of Netflix's animated feature "KPop Demon Hunters" speaks during a press conference at a theater in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Netflix
Kang explained that she immigrated to Canada at the age of 5 but never forgot her home culture, which allowed her to maintain her identity as a Korean and provided the motivation to create this film.
"When I was in second or third grade, my teacher asked me where I was from. I said South Korea. But the teacher didn't know where South Korea was, so I pointed to Korea on the map between China and Japan. I was shocked that Korea was so little known, and I thought, 'This is how others see our country,' and it made me want to let people know more about Korea,” she said.
From this perspective, she said that the film's success in capturing authentic Korean details, which has been widely praised, was not just thanks to her own effort but also to the many other Korean creators on her production team.
"When we see Korean content made overseas, there are often many inaccuracies. Not just Korean content, but other Asian works, like 'Mulan,' for example. It's a Chinese story, but the characters are wearing kimono-style clothes, which as an Asian person, feels wrong. I wanted to make a Korean film where the Korean culture and details were accurate. I didn't do it alone. There were many Koreans on our team who checked everything to make sure there were no mistakes," she said.
"I thought that if we created a universal theme, everyone could understand it. I wanted to show various aspects of our culture, and even if they didn't understand it at first, I hoped they would someday."
A poster for Netflix's animated feature "KPop Demon Hunters" / Courtesy of Netflix
Kang added that she devoted the most effort to story development, a major reason why the film was able to reach a global audience.
"It took seven years to complete this project. The most important thing is crafting the story. If the story lacks a connection, people won't watch it. From beginning to end, the story is the most important part," Kang said.
When asked about the biggest K-pop stars and influences on her work, she named the 1990s boy bands Seo Tai-ji & Boys and H.O.T., as well as director Bong Joon-ho.
"I've always loved Seo Tai-ji & Boys and H.O.T. I was a fan. That's why the songs of Seo Tai-ji & Boys and Deux are in our movie. My influencer is director Bong Joon-ho. I was greatly influenced by his film 'The Host,’” she said.
She added that while she has been receiving many questions about a sequel to “KPop Demon Hunters,” there is no official announcement to be made yet.
"We didn't show the back stories of the characters, so I have a lot of ideas for that. I know many people are waiting," the director said. "If a sequel is made, there are many musicians I would like to work with. I want to show various styles of Korean music. I'd like to include trot, too, and other genres of Korean music."