'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Choreographer Lee Jung Reveals the Backstory of 'Soda Pop' Dance

Behind the success of the animation 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 that took the world by storm this summer lies the addictive choreography of the virtual idol groups in the work. In particular, the 'Soda Pop' by Lion Boys and 'How It's Done' by HuntRix entered the top ranks of the Billboard Hot 100, creating a global phenomenon. Additionally, top stars including Cha Eun-woo, Zero Base One, PLAVE, and RISE participated in the 'Soda Pop' challenge.

Lee Jung, who created this hot choreography, stated in an interview held on the 24th in Yongsan, Seoul, "If you ask about the creative process, it's surprisingly nothing special," and added, "Sometimes what comes to mind immediately turns out to be a mega hit." He reflected, "As soon as I heard 'Soda Pop', (the shoulder dance) came to mind."

Lee Jung shared, "In fact, I just thought that for that rhythm, it would be good to dance like this, and I didn't even recognize it as a shoulder dance at first." He continued, "I am grateful that many people are following along."

Lee Jung's participation in 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 began about three years ago, from the early planning stages of the film. As his agency, The Black Label, became involved in the OST, he naturally joined the choreography production. The production team, who had been watching his performance in the dance competition program 〈Street Woman Fighter〉, suggested that they wanted him to take charge of the choreography for HuntRix and Lion Boys.

Lee Jung recalled, "If the producer from The Black Label was making the OST, the musicality would be guaranteed, and dancing to such music was my dream." He added, "I was so moved when the production team told me, 'These people have no physical limits. Do whatever you want.'"

He expressed the joy of the working process, saying, "I get tired after doing the choreography about twice, but HuntRix has no physical limits, so it was so much fun until the day of concept, planning, and motion capture." He explained, "I didn't take actual K-Pop singers as a motif for the choreography; my best inspiration comes from good music, and because the music was so good, I literally unfolded my dream."

Lee Jung participated in the motion capture work for the core characters of the film, Lumi from HuntRix and Jinwoo from Lion Boys. Motion capture is a technology that records the movements of real humans as digital information to implement the movements of virtual characters.

When asked if he anticipated the global success of the work, Lee Jung replied, "I thought it would do well," and said, "I believe that sincerity in the field of art resonates, so I poured my heart and soul into creating the choreography."

For Lee Jung, a star choreographer who has created hit choreography for top K-Pop groups like TWICE, BLACKPINK, iKON, ENHYPEN, and NCT Dream, the global sensation of 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 has become a new stimulus. He expressed, "It feels like a dream that the movie is a hit. I want to believe it's a miracle," and added, "I can always create choreography, but to have people recognize who created the choreography feels like a dream." He reflected, "Four years ago, before meeting 〈Street Woman Fighter〉, I was a person with big dreams and ambitions, but I never predicted I would grow to this extent."

Among the 'Soda Pop' challenges, he picked the version by ASTRO's Cha Eun-woo as the 'best'. Cha Eun-woo is also known to be the model for the male protagonist Jinwoo in the work. He said, "I heard that Jinwoo was a character created based on Cha Eun-woo, and seeing Cha Eun-woo dance, he really looked like Jinwoo."

Lee Jung actively participated as a member of the Korean representative team 'Beomjeok' in the national dance competition program 〈World of Street Woman Fighter〉, which ended on the 22nd. Unfortunately, Beomjeok was eliminated in the semi-finals and did not make it to the finals.

Lee Jung stated, "I have no regrets because I did my best at every moment. I humbly accepted that I didn't make it to the finals," and added, "Regardless of the ranking, it provided me with good development and growth, so it had value beyond the results." He continued, "Although the competition in 〈World of Street Woman Fighter〉 has ended, I will continue to strive to represent this country as a dancer from Korea," and expressed, "Wherever dance takes me, I want to go as far as I can."

Regarding the recent topic of choreography copyright in the music industry, he stated, "It is a right that any creator should enjoy," and expressed his belief that it is a task that should be well developed together with seniors, peers, and juniors, even if it takes a long time."

Lee Jung also mentioned the changing societal perception of dancers. He said, "Just the addition of 'dancer' in the Naver job section makes me feel that culture has developed," and added, "Now, when people see a good stage, they are curious about who created the choreography and want to see the original creative version." He concluded, "I believe we have entered an era and environment where we can protect the rights of creators."