'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Director Maggie Kang Emphasizes the Infinite Possibilities of Korean Cultural Content

Recently, Director Maggie Kang, who is gaining attention for the animation 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' (Kedeheon), has sparked discussions about the limitless power of Korean cultural content. On the 20th, Kang appeared on Arirang TV's talk show 'K-Pop: The Next Chapter' and emphasized, "There are no limits to Korean cultural content," stating, "While researching to create Kedeheon, I found that there is so much Korean culture I didn't know. This means there is even more to show the world."

Kang, a Korean-Canadian who immigrated to Canada at the age of five, revealed that she has always dreamed of incorporating Korean culture into animation while working in the Hollywood animation industry. This dream stemmed from her experiences abroad during childhood. Kang recalled, "When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, a teacher asked where I was from, and when I said 'South Korea,' they couldn't find it on the map. From that moment, I thought I needed to make my country known."

She also emphasized that while directing 'Kedeheon', she aimed to showcase the unique and attractive elements of Korean culture rather than catering to the tastes of international audiences. Kang stated, "When we show our true selves, people become curious," adding, "The goal of 'Kedeheon' was to present Korean culture as it is, and I believe that resonated with people around the world."

'Kedeheon' attracts attention with its unique concept that combines the traditional Korean culture of the Grim Reaper with modern pop culture idols. Kang explained, "I thought the images of goblins, water ghosts, and Grim Reapers were unique, and naturally, the story of demon hunters came up, and when I added K-Pop, the concept became even more interesting."

Kang also shared that at the time, many Hollywood studios wanted to make K-Pop movies, but no one attempted it, saying, "So I thought, why not give it a try myself?"

She revealed behind-the-scenes stories about Lumi, the main vocalist of the girl group HuntRix and the protagonist of 'Kedeheon'. Kang proudly stated, "I created the character Lumi first and added the concept later. I even named my daughter Lumi, and all the childhood scenes, voice acting, and singing of Lumi in the movie were done by my daughter herself."

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung and Twice members Jihyo and Jeongyeon also attended the talk show, adding to the event's excitement. Twice's Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung performed the 'Kedeheon' OST 'Take Down', generating buzz. Jeongyeon mentioned, "'Take Down' was the most difficult song since our debut," while Jihyo added, "The production team sent all the HuntRix songs and asked us to choose the ones we wanted, so I picked comfortably. I slightly regret not choosing 'Golden'." The Twice version of 'Take Down' reached 60th place on the Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart.