Peak, valley of 'Kedehun'

A scene from Netflix show "KPop Demon Hunters" / Courtesy of Netflix

"The first since BTS to make it to the top of Billboard 100!"

This was the glaring headline that stopped me in my tracks to search for this latest K-pop song. Actually, it was a K-pop-inspired song titled "Golden," from Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters." The song also recently topped the British official chart. "Nice job," I thought to myself, and turned toward the film, whose other tracks — including "Takedown," recorded by TWICE's Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung — have also been charting.

"KPop Demon Hunters" is the immensely popular story about a K-pop girl band trio whose members live a double life as demon fighters. Things unfurl when they meet Saja Boys, a five-member boy band who are actual demons in disguise. The high-energy K-pop music, rapidfire and engaging dialogue of the protagonists, and soda-pop images are like candy to K-pop fans.

In fact, a lot of things about "KPop Demon Hunters," also known by its shortened moniker "Kedehun," hollers K-pop and K-content. But the film, directed by Korean Canadian Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Netflix. It might well be the state of movie-making globally that while the phenomenally popular K-pop industry may have provided the source and the underpinnings for "KPop Demon Hunters," the capital and distribution required came from U.S. companies.

Even animated, everything about Huntrix and Saja Boys scream K-pop, from the girls' perfect sense of fashion from head to toe, to each member executing their role as main vocalist or rapper while pulling off dance moves. The boys all have six-packs but an overall slim silhouette as they dance in almost military synchronicity to their songs. The voices for the Huntrix members are recorded by Arden Cho, May Hong and Yoo Ji-young, all Korean American actors. The Saja Boys' main man, Jinu, is voiced by Korean actor Ahn Hyo-seop.

The film is smartly made, not quite like the Disney franchise movies, although there is speculation that it may be turned into a franchise after achieving a distinctively entertaining connection with movie watchers.

Every scene accentuates parts of Seoul and Korean culture — the aggressive and adorable "ajumma," or older women of Korea, the flitting images of N Seoul Tower and the city walls and the use of traditional figures like tigers and magpies — to endear the film to those living in Seoul. Those who created the characters, backgrounds and scenes gave it a loving K-touch. The songs are fast-paced and catchy, the lyrics trendy and emotive at times. As the film progresses and the narrative develops, the film firmly pulls the audience in. A backdrop of Korean mythology, where a lead demon named "Gwi-ma" (voiced by top Korean actor Lee Byung-hun) enslaves the Saja Boys, adds another layer of Korean allure.

One might argue that it is a case of one doing all the tricks while another earns the credit. Well, related Korean entities, surprisingly including the National Museum of Korea, saw their sales jump after the streaming release of "KPop Demon Hunters." But while Korea may be the origin of K-pop and Korean content, it took global entertainment capital and a global platform to birth the film. The makers perhaps did not expect it to be such a global phenomenon, as there were no hyped-up prerelease promotions. The strategy of combining "cannot fail" elements of global fandom and the dominant popularity of K-pop connected for success.

Another could opine that this is the new landscape of the Korean wave, or K-pop 4.0, as it attempts to reach more global fans. When K-pop started bringing in foreign composers, questions rose as to whether it was truly K-pop. Since then, the industry has grown bigger. Collaborations such as "KPop Demon Hunters" could be a way to broaden K-pop's outreach while protecting the original creators' rights. For a Korean economy that has grown mostly on a latecomer strategy, it is time to think about how it can achieve growth through its soft power content.