REPORTERSNOTEBOOK What 'KPop Demon Hunters' gets right, wrong about K-pop industry

A scene from Netflix's animated film, "KPop Demon Hunters," featuring members of the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, from left: Mira, Rumi and Zoey. Courtesy of Netflix

By Pyo Kyung-min

• Published Jun 25, 2025 1:00 AM KST
• Updated Jun 25, 2025 5:03 PM KST

After spending a few years covering the fast-paced, high-gloss K-pop industry, a reporter inevitably starts to see through the glitter.

You get familiar with the ins and outs — from the hot "tea" fans usually crave to the industry's darkest lore you wish you never knew.

Yet, in fan-driven fiction and spin-offs made to celebrate the K-pop fantasy, those insider truths rarely surface. The industry's smallest details often remain a secret, carefully concealed under K-pop's golden rule: Faults and fears must never be seen.

If that phrase rings a bell, you might already be on your way to becoming a K-pop trendsetter yourself.

This is the exact mantra followed by Huntrix, the fictional K-pop girl group at the center of "KPop Demon Hunters," the new animated film that dropped last Friday on Netflix.

The movie — the first internationally produced animated feature to focus on K-pop — reimagines K-pop stars as demon slayers. Huntrix's trio of members — Rumi, the leader and main vocalist; Mira, the main dancer; and Zoey, the rapper and lyricist — use the power of K-pop to fight evil spirits.

Oddly accurate?

In the film, both the evil forces and the girls' supernatural powers are made invisible to the public. This means the trio must battle demons while keeping their secrets tightly under wraps — a setup that closely mirrors real-life idols, who are expected to hide their own "faults and fears" no matter what's happening behind the scenes.

In fact, "KPop Demon Hunters" reflects more real-world K-pop truths than one might expect.

Scenes of Huntrix and its rival boy group, the Saja Boys, performing for roaring crowds with glowing light sticks and homemade banners feel almost too real — the kind of sight you'd catch at any major concert venue in Korea.

And the way the Saja Boys' track "Soda Pop" turns into a viral hit and sparks a fan-led dance challenge is also straight out of the K-pop playbook.

Even the scenes where group members gather for quiet conversations after a conflict reflect real-life practices. When asked in interviews about internal tensions, many K-pop groups explain that they hold regular, informal meetings to talk through issues and maintain harmony.

Rookie boy band TWS under Pledis Entertainment, for example, has even given this ritual a name: "modakbul," the Korean word for "campfire."

What's hidden

But once you peel back the glitter a little further, it becomes clear that "KPop Demon Hunters" is still serving a highly stylized, idealized version of idol life.

Take scheduling, for instance. If Huntrix were a real group enjoying global fame, the group's calendar would be far more demanding than what the film depicts.

Idols like TWICE, BLACKPINK and iTZY — all inspirations for Huntrix — rarely enjoy even a brief break following weeks of promotions for their albums. Instead, they move directly into preparations for the next release or embark on world tour planning, often out of sight from the public eye.

Food is another area where fantasy diverges sharply from reality.

In "KPop Demon Hunters," Huntrix members are seen casually enjoying kimbap (seaweed rice rolls), ramyeon (instant noodles) and bowls of gukbap (rice served in soup) — all standard fare in Korea.

But for real-life idols, such meals are often off-limits, especially during album promotions when maintaining a camera-ready physique is a constant concern. Most idols follow highly restrictive diets while promoting, and many continue monitoring their intake even during downtime.

One male idol, speaking privately just a few weeks ago with this reporter, revealed that he avoids all snacks even when drinking with friends during inactive periods.

"Catching a bit of alcohol poisoning might actually be a good thing. In real life I look drawn and hollow, but on camera, that often looks better," he said.

What perhaps marks the starkest contrast between the film and reality, however, is the question of power and autonomy.

In the movie, Huntrix is portrayed as having near-total control over their careers — the members release the group's new single "Golden" with the click of a button, write a diss track abut another group without needing company approval and freely roam the streets of Seoul without sufficient disguise or a manager in sight.

Such freedom is far from typical in the actual idol industry, where most K-pop stars operate under tight supervision by their agencies, functioning more like contracted employees than independent artists.

In reality, releasing a new single is rarely a spontaneous decision, as it requires coordination across numerous departments, with promotional plans carefully laid out by hundreds of staff members. A sudden, unauthorized release would be considered a serious breach of protocol.

And while idols do sneak out from time to time, a casual late-night meetup like Rumi's with Jinu — two of the most prominent members from the biggest K-pop groups — without staff supervision or even so much as a pair of sunglasses for disguise, would definitely spark a major scandal if it happened in the real K-pop world.

In the end, "KPop Demon Hunters" may not get everything right — and to be fair, it doesn't have to. But for fans and casual viewers alike, the film offers a surprisingly sharp look into how the industry presents its stars and hides its scars.

And for those who know what really goes on behind the scenes, it's a fun — if occasionally too forgiving — remix of reality.