From Part 2 to the Oscars Stage: The Fun, Quip-Filled Back-and-Forth from the Stars of ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’

Like a film that revived the long-neglected narrative of “K-pop” and “K-culture”—lifting them back up to a global, top-tier standard—the stars of the animated feature 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 faced reporters. 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 is an animation about Lumi, Joy, and Mira from the K-pop group ‘HUNTRIX’ (HUNTR/X) as they protect the world. Since its June 2025 release, it has become the first Netflix Original to top 300 million views and 500 million viewing hours, and it continues to draw attention as the most-watched title among all releases so far.

Held on April 1 at CGV Yongsan iPark Mall in Yongsan, the 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 press conference—put together so the cast could thank fans after winning Best Feature-Length Animation and Best Original Song at the 98th U.S. Academy Awards on March 15 (local time)—featured Director Maggie Kang, the overall director; co-director Chris Applehans; and EJAE (Lee Jae), the composer of “Golden” and the vocalist for Lumi in the film. It also included IDO (Lee Yu-han, Kwak Jung-gyu, Nam Hee-dong), who co-composed the OSTs that were widely loved, including “How It’s Done,” “Golden,” and “Your Idol,” and who also serves as a producer at Double Black Label. From the freshly confirmed Part 2 to the moment of emotion on the Oscars stage, this article shares the stories revealed on-site.

“Part 2? Nothing’s been set yet…We’ll make what we want to see—just like Part 1.”

As befits such a buzzy production, questions about the sequel came right away at the press conference. Director Maggie Kang answered with a playful tone, as if to skirt the question, saying, “I have ideas, but nothing’s been decided in detail yet,” suggesting she wanted to keep things under wraps. Still, she went on to share her serious intentions for Part 2, saying, “Just like the first film, Chris and I will make the movie we want to see.” Chris Applehans added, “I think our relationship with the fans is special. To me, the fans feel like family—because we believe they came looking for our film and helped introduce it to the whole world.” He then said, “When we’re working on Part 2, I want to carry over what we did in Part 1—not by simply repeating things, but by pushing further. Like Part 1, I want to surprise people, break the rules, and expand the boundaries even more,” emphasizing that his thoughts on Part 2 are ongoing.

“Best acceptance speech at the Academy? We’ll pick it with rock-paper-scissors.”

Meanwhile, at the Academy Awards ceremony, when the film won Best Original Song, controversy broke out because the event organizers played music without first listening to IDO’s acceptance speech. Asked what happened, IDO Lee Yu-han said, “It was a short moment, and I’m sorry we couldn’t finish everything. I wanted to say that our families, Double Black Label, and Producer Teddy—plus our members—worked so hard, and that I wanted to congratulate them.” He then revealed the acceptance speech he hadn’t been able to deliver at the time. Nam Hee-dong said, “That acceptance speech was something we decided together, so there’s nothing extra to add,” and added, “From the audience’s side—including unexpected things like this—the moment itself was an honor. So I was just happy.” Hearing that, Maggie Kang said, “I heard we even decided via rock-paper-scissors who would deliver the acceptance speech,” and IDO Kwak Jung-gyu agreed, joking, “We settle everything with rock-paper-scissors,” prompting laughter in the room. When Lee Yu-han said, “It’s the same with my Academy speech and the Golden Globes—I’m sure it happened because I won,” Maggie Kang added, “I heard you often win,” lending further credibility.

“When I heard the pansori, my confidence shot up.”

As a composer and vocalist, Lee Jae recalled his performance at the Academy Awards, where he sang “Golden.” The stage at the time was a production that blended Korean traditional attire, pansori, and traditional dance, leaving a strong impression on viewers who watched the broadcast. Lee Jae said, “Because we had rehearsals, I knew exactly how the stage would be built. But even so, I cried a lot during rehearsal.” He added, “Before going onstage, I was hiding behind the scenes—but when the pansori came out, my confidence kicked in. Ray Ami (Joy’s vocals) and my sister Audrey (Mira’s vocals) were raised in the U.S., so they don’t know Korean culture as well. As a Korean, though, this was something to be proud of: bringing a stage like this to such a big venue in America. I was genuinely satisfied—and I felt really moved.”

He also said he couldn’t bring himself to watch the filmmakers at the Academy Awards venue wave their light sticks during the performance. He said, “(If you watch while performing) I was so nervous that I couldn’t look—I worried my voice might break,” and then added, “After it was over, I saw it. And it was incredible. I never imagined (Leonardo) DiCaprio would be holding up a light stick. That’s when I thought, ‘So this is the power of K.’”

Chris Applehans: “People get stronger after going through something tremendous”

Director Chris Applehans explained Part 2 and said, “All of it, I want it to be rooted in Korean-ness.” Asked what “Korean-ness” feels like to him as the only foreign attendee here—despite having a Korean wife—he replied, “I’ve been living as part of a family with my Korean wife for 20 years now. It wasn’t something I studied or observed to learn—it just became part of everyday life. Living together, I’ve watched how Koreans express love and how they endure suffering, and I’ve experienced so many surprising things.” He added, “I’ve spent more than half my life—including with my wife—surrounded by Korean ways of expression, and that’s how I learned what it means to be Korean. In fact, I think the Korean-ness (woven into the work) comes from the people sitting right next to us.”

He also said, “If you look at Lumi’s story, Lumi endures tremendous pain—and through that, she gains strength. In my experience, Koreans—Korea, Korean culture, and Korean people—have gone through tremendous things, and in the process they became stronger. And they take great pride in that. I’m proud that, through our story, we can share that side with the world,” using 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 as an example to share his thoughts on what makes it Korean.

The sincerity of “being Korean,” told by Maggie Kang & Lee Jae

Maggie Kang and Lee Jae drew a lot of attention with the acceptance speeches they delivered from the stage. Maggie Kang left a strong impression with her closing remarks: “I dedicate this award to all Koreans around the world.” Looking back, she said, “When I was young, I watched movies from China like Mulan, or anime produced in Japan, and I thought, ‘There are so many films that showcase culture like this—but there’s no Korean culture.’ That’s why I wanted to make a film that introduces culture. Many Koreans probably felt like it was necessary, too.” She also pointed to how 〈K-Pop Demon Hunters〉 took its first step. She added, “I also thought there are misunderstandings—maybe even more than that—about so-called overseas Koreans. Not everyone may have been born in Korea, and there may be different categories, but I think many overseas Koreans still live with the feeling, ‘I can’t fully call myself Korean.’ Now Korea has truly arrived on the global stage. As someone like me—and Lee Jae, who’s immersed in both culture worlds—I thought I could serve as a genuine bridge between them. So I wanted to speak on behalf of all people in situations like ours. No matter what environment or process we went through, it won’t lessen our sense of being Korean—and it won’t affect whether our growth background makes us feel pride in being Korean,” expressing her pride in being Korean once again.

Lee Jae also previously commented on his acceptance speech: “When I was young, I got teased for liking K-pop, but now everyone sings along to Korean lyrics. It’s something to be proud of.” He recalled, “When I was growing up in New York, America, I wanted to be a singer. Back then, there weren’t many Asians on TV, so I watched a lot of K-pop. When I was young, I really loved god (g.o.d) and H.O.T. (H.O.T.).” He then shared that people around him would tease him, saying, “I came to Korea, lived the trainee life, and worked a lot on songs, but I didn’t think it would spread like this worldwide. At the Academy Awards, everyone held up light sticks and sang Korean lyrics—it really made me tear up, and I felt so proud.”

“Honestly, we don’t know that well either.”

Because this was a gathering of the main stars, a wide variety of questions came in—especially about Part 2. Most of the answers sounded like, “We still don’t know much either.” Even so, Maggie Kang said she’s still considering using the “heavy metal” and “trot” elements she mentioned last time, leaving the door open with, “If it fits the story, we’ll use it.” IDO, whose contribution to the music is significant, also said there isn’t a clear plan yet, and Nam Hee-dong replied, “I like trot a lot, so I think trot would be great too.” When asked whether all the songs that defined the biggest trends of 2025 have already been covered, Lee Jae answered, “It’s taking a bit longer, and we don’t know exactly how many there are yet.” Still, he added, “I’m looking forward to it,” prompting laughter. Lastly, when asked, “Is there any chance Jinwoo could come back again?” Director Chris Applehans answered, “Jinwoo is alive—inside our hearts,” stirring up the reporters’ hopes for Jinwoo’s return.