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After the 'KPop Demon Hunters' boom, what lies ahead for Korea’s content policy

Published: 12 Sep. 2025, 00:04

Ko Sam-seok

The author is a distinguished professor at the College of AI Convergence at Dongguk University.

Baekbeom Kim Gu once said that the only thing he truly wished for Korea was the “power of culture.” Living under the harsh realities of Japanese colonial rule, he believed that genuine independence and prosperity could not be achieved through military or economic strength alone. While force could be a tool of invasion, cultural strength had the power to inspire peace, cooperation and respect among nations.

This philosophy later took institutional form under President Kim Dae-jung. During the 1997 foreign exchange crisis, he identified culture as both a new growth engine and a foundation of national competitiveness. For him, the real power of the 21st century came not from military or labor capacity but from knowledge and culture. He regarded soft power as the truest form of national strength.

More than 1,200 drones light up the night sky over Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Sept. 7, during the “2025 Hangang Light Show.” The drones formed images of characters including Derpy the tiger from the Netflix animation “KPop Demon Hunters.” [NEWS1]

During his presidency, Kim treated culture as more than artistic expression. He defined it as an industry capable of producing high added value and offered strong state support, while maintaining a principle of “support without interference.” This balance is why he remains respected as Korea’s “culture president.” The groundwork laid under his administration enabled Korea, then a cultural backwater, to become a global powerhouse in cultural industries and fueled the rise of the Korean Wave.

The global impact of Netflix’s animated series “KPop Demon Hunters” has revived international interest in Korean culture. The series is surpassing even the platform’s record-breaking hit “Squid Game” (2021-2025). Both productions share one feature: They draw directly from elements of Korean culture.

Yet unlike “Squid Game,” the new series did not involve Korean investment or production teams. Netflix financed the project, while Sony Pictures in the United States produced it. Still, leading global media outlets readily categorize it as Korean content. The boundaries of what constitutes K-content are becoming more porous, and its scope continues to expand.

Industry analysts note that “KPop Demon Hunters” follows the successful formula of past Korean cultural exports while pushing it further. The show incorporates fan culture from K-pop, fuses Korean shamanistic traditions and motifs such as tigers into a fantasy narrative and relies on Netflix’s worldwide distribution platform. These elements together enabled the series to achieve global popularity in a short span of time.

But success casts shadows. Critics in Korea argue that because the intellectual property rights are not held domestically, little direct economic benefit will return to the Korean industry. Without a global IP expansion strategy, they warn, Korea’s content policy risks becoming hollow and unsustainable. Cultural strength cannot be built on borrowed platforms alone.

Another concern is the weakening of Korea’s domestic production ecosystem. As Netflix and other international giants expand, traditional broadcasters and local studios are losing ground. The greater the dependence on foreign capital and distribution networks, the weaker the self-sufficiency of Korea’s media industry. Over time, this could restrict both the diversity and quality of Korean content. Signs of such strain are already appearing across the sector.

President Lee Jae Myung pledged during his campaign to make Korea a “cultural powerhouse,” a commitment later reinforced in the transition committee’s national agenda. He is the first major presidential candidate since Kim Dae-jung to present such a promise as a core policy, raising public and industry expectations.

President Lee Jae Myung, fourth from left, speaks during a meeting with leading cultural figures at the Pine Grass reception hall in front of the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on June 30. Attendees included Tony award-winning musical writer Hue Park, soprano Sumi Jo, ballerino Park Youn-jae and director Kim Won-suk. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

For the new administration, the challenge is to ensure that cultural policy does not amount to rhetoric without substance. The frenzy over “KPop Demon Hunters” must be understood as more than a fleeting trend. It is a signal that global audiences are eager for cultural narratives rooted in Korea, yet it also highlights the risks of failing to secure ownership and nurture the domestic industry.

To build a nation strong in culture, government and industry must work together, with a clear sense of priorities. And as Kim Dae-jung emphasized, support must never turn into interference. Only then can Korea sustain the momentum of the Korean Wave and ensure that the whale of cultural influence swims in waters of its own making.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.