'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Gimbap Scene Sparks Buzz... 'Whole Gimbap One Bite Challenge' Trend Abroad

The gimbap scene featured in the Netflix animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' is causing a huge stir abroad.

The 'Whole Gimbap One Bite Challenge', where the protagonist 'Rumi' eats an entire uncut gimbap roll, is trending on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

As of the 30th, the hashtag '#gimbap' on Instagram has over 180,000 posts, and there are more than 17,000 related videos on TikTok.

A video of an overseas user making and eating gimbap has recorded over 22 million views on Instagram. The video has English comments such as 'I'm addicted to gimbap', 'I want to eat it too', and 'Please share the recipe'.

There has been interest in gimbap abroad before. In 2023, frozen gimbap released at the American grocery store 'Trader Joe's' caused a sell-out situation. At that time, a tasting video by Korean-American influencer Sarah Ahn garnered over 14 million views on TikTok.

In March, the Washington Post published an article titled 'How Korean Gimbap Became a Global Sensation'. The article analyzed that gimbap gained attention alongside the popularity of the ENA drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young-woo'.

'K-Pop Demon Hunters' has become the most-watched original animated film in Netflix history. Since its release on the 20th of last month, it has accumulated 220.8 million viewing hours and reached 132.4 million views.

The OST 'Golden' sung by the K-Pop girl group 'HuntRix' in the film has reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. All 8 tracks included in the OST have appeared on the Hot 100 for 3 consecutive weeks.