tvN <You Quiz on the Block>
Director Maggie Kang of K-Pop: Demon Hunters appeared on the tvN program You Quiz on the Block to share stories about her work. Here is a summary of the conversation.
- The “K-De-Heon” Sing-along Bus appeared in Chicago.
- Only two days of special screenings, yet… #1 at the North American Box Office.
- Enthusiastic response from people all over the world.
- <K-Pop: Demon Hunters>
- #1 on Netflix in 43 countries.
- Reached 236 million views.
- The Korean who started the global “K-De-Heon” fever: Director Maggie Kang (Kang Min-ji).
<Golden>
- The saying “What is most Korean is most global” has become a reality.
- Maggie Kang: “I didn’t even know one movie could be this popular.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “The harmony between K-pop and Korean culture in the process of fighting evil spirits is a ‘godsend’ (stroke of genius).”
- An animation set in South Korea using K-pop music, featuring the girl group ‘HuntrX’ who protects the world from evil spirits and saves fans from the evil boy group ‘Saja Boys.’
- Ranked #1 in 43 countries after its release in June.
- Surpassed 236 million cumulative views.
- Became Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time.
- Still breaking records even now.
- The OST <GOLDEN> hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 and #1 on the UK Official Singles Chart; 8 OST tracks lined up on the music charts.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Did you expect this kind of craze?”
- Maggie Kang: “While making the songs, I wanted K-pop fans to accept these songs as K-pop and see HuntrX or Saja Boys as idol groups. But I never thought our song would climb to the Billboard charts. It’s so amazing. It’s also fascinating to see HuntrX and Saja Boys battling on the Billboard charts.”
- Situations in the movie that became reality (<Soda Pop>, <Golden>).
- Lee Jae, who composed and sang <GOLDEN> himself—became a hot topic when it was revealed he was an SM trainee for 10 years!
- Maggie Kang: “I watched him record <Golden> in New York. He hit the high notes 20 to 30 times in a row. It’s a very difficult song to sing, isn’t it? I asked Lee Jae to make it difficult. Because listening to high-pitched songs makes you feel ‘UP.’ I wanted to create a song that gives a heart-fluttering, soaring feeling. Our movie gives off positive energy.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “The lyrics keep saying ‘UP’ too.”
- Lyrics:We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment. You know together we’re glowing. Gonna be, gonna be golden.
- The <Golden> cover challenge spread on SNS due to its bright, powerful message and addictive chorus.
- Popularity among all ages.
- Various parodies appeared.
- #1 at the US Box Office with only two days of screening… 25 billion KRW in revenue.
- “Shall we seal the gate of souls with a sing-along?” 7-hour wait for the US Sing-along Bus.
- The world is currently in a “K-De-Heon” craze.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Not only the songs, but scenes from the movie are becoming hot topics.”
- The Topic Scene: Eating a whole roll of Gimbap without cutting it.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “People are even following the way characters eat a whole roll of Gimbap.”
- As interest in Gimbap heats up, videos of people making their own Gimbap are gaining popularity.
- 13 million views for the <Soda Pop> challenge.
Maggie Kang’s Childhood
- Immigrated to Canada at the young age of 5.
- Still speaks fluent Korean despite the risk of forgetting it if not used.
- Maggie Kang: “When I first went to Canada, I only used English. We didn’t use Korean at home. They said I spoke perfect English in six months. After my English became perfect, my mom gave me a Korean book, but I couldn’t read it. My mom said, ‘This won’t do,’ and started studying with me from then on. I had to study Korean for several hours, 3-4 times a week, no matter what. I did dictation and read repeatedly. At the time, I really hated it, but now I’m so grateful for it.”
- Studying Korean at age 5 wasn’t easy, but it has now become a great asset.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Even after immigrating to Canada, did you visit Korea often?”
- Maggie Kang: “I spent all my summer vacations in Korea. My parents always thought they would return to Korea, so we spent a lot of time there.”
- A naturally ingrained Korean sensibility.
- Maggie Kang: “I think I watched a lot of TV whenever I came to Korea during vacations, haha. Every summer in Korea, there was a hit song of the season. I have great memories of going to karaoke with my cousins and singing popular songs.”
- Production Crew: “Which singers did you like?”
- Maggie Kang: “For singers, it was H.O.T. I was a fan of H.O.T., and also Seo Taiji and Boys.”
- Seo Taiji and Boys – <As the Night Goes On> (1992). DEUX – <Look Back at Me> (1993).
- Influenced by the singers she liked as a child, Korean songs were inserted throughout the movie.
- Maggie Kang: “My mother always said, ‘You are Korean. You must not forget the Korean language.’ So I always remembered those words. Although I have a Canadian passport now, I have always felt 100% Korean in my heart.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “How did you start in animation?”
- Maggie Kang: “My dad really loves movies. So I’ve been interested in storytelling since I was little. When I wrote a story, I drew character designs and scenes, and seeing that, my dad bought me an animation book. From that moment, I thought, ‘Animation can be a job!’ and started learning 2D animation. Then I took a story test at DreamWorks. I passed and joined DreamWorks.”
- Jo Se-ho: “Do you remember any animations you liked as a child?”
- Maggie Kang: “I liked Dooly (The Little Dinosaur) and I remember Candy Candy. I was influenced a lot by Korean cartoons and also by Western ones, like Disney. I liked many different kinds.”
- A director who has loved animation since childhood.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “You worked a lot as a storyboard artist at DreamWorks, right? Shrek the Third, Kung Fu Panda 2, Minions: The Rise of Gru.
- What is a Storyboard Artist?
- The first step in making a movie is writing (scriptwork). However, the script is not perfect.
- The role of a storyboard artist is to visualize the script.
- When assigned a scene, they express the camera angles, character positions, movements, and atmosphere through drawings.
- Animation is created based on these designed drawings.
- The work of visualizing how a scene will be composed through a storyboard.
- The next step after storyboard artist is storyboard supervisor.
- After that comes the director, who plans the story and oversees everything.
- Director Kang’s first directorial work: <K-Pop: Demon Hunters>.
The Reason for Making <K-Pop: Demon Hunters>
Yoo Jae-suk: “How did you come to make K-Pop: Demon Hunters?”
Maggie Kang: “I’ve been working in animation for 20 years. Ever since I started, I wanted to see an animation that captures Korean culture. As a Korean! Korea makes and loves animation so much, so I thought, ‘I wish there was a movie that represents our country!’ and ‘If such a project comes out, I want to work on it.’ I waited until it came out, but it didn’t. So, after becoming a supervisor and reaching a position where I could be a director, I thought, ‘Then should I try making it?’ Then an idea came to me. It seemed like people abroad didn’t know much about Korea’s Grim Reaper (Jeoseung Saja) or Goblin (Dokkaebi) images. Those images from folklore naturally connected to the idea of ‘Demon Hunters’ who fight evil spirits.”
- Utilizing the image of the Dokkaebi from folklore, an evil spirit with a Dokkaebi face was born.
- The Jeoseung Saja, typically a scary figure in a black gat and dopo (traditional robe) taking away the dead, was reborn as a mysterious yet sophisticated and charming Jeoseung Saja.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “I didn’t know the Grim Reaper could be portrayed like that!”
- Maggie Kang: “The ‘Demon Hunter’ idea was decided first, and demon hunting is often done while hiding one’s identity. So I thought, ‘What job could these female characters have to hide their identities while fighting evil?’ At that time, many teams wanted to make a movie using K-pop, but they hadn’t been able to. So I thought, ‘Shall I try that too?’ The concept of ‘Idol’ + ‘Demon Hunter’ was great.”
- The demon-hunting girl group HuntrX was born by combining Korean mythology and occult elements with K-pop.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “How will the Grim Reaper harass HuntrX? But they become idols! This imagination…! I slapped my knee (was blown away)!!!”
- Maggie Kang: “That idea was there from the beginning. Saja Boys were also expressed as both Grim Reapers and Lions (Saja).”
- The evil boy group Saja Boys, who bewitch people with addictive songs.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Traditional culture is embedded throughout the work.”
- Use of Shamanistic ‘Gut’: The shaman’s ‘Gut’ chases away spirits with songs, dances, and ritual tools.
- The ritual of chasing evil spirits was reborn as a K-pop performance.
- Irworobongdo (Painting of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks)
- Wearing Norigae
- Shamanistic Tools (Gokdo, Saingeom, Shinkal)
- Yoo Jae-suk: “These detailed parts are amazing. Especially the tiger character ‘Duffy.’ The scene where Duffy tries to stand up a flowerpot he knocked over but fails is so cute and highlights the character’s charm. Duffy is a tiger from traditional folk paintings, right? (Hojakdo—paintings of tigers and magpies). I was very surprised by how cutely and charmingly the tiger was expressed.”
- Maggie Kang: “I have two cats, they are Himalayans. They have flat faces, and the character was born by getting inspiration from my pet cats. That flowerpot scene… cats have a trait of trying to knock things over. But our Duffy was an inverse idea—a scene where he tries to stand the flowerpot up instead of knocking it down.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “I thought he’d stop after once or twice, but he knocks it over several times.”
- Maggie Kang: “I watched a lot of historical dramas growing up, so I was familiar with traditional clothing. I wanted to show a lot of Korea through this work. Of course, this is a K-pop movie, but I had the ambition to inform and show as much of Korea’s history as possible.”
- The image of Korea naturally blended into the work:
- N Seoul Tower
- Bukchon Hanok Village
- Naksan Park Fortress Wall Path
- Public Bathhouses
- Oriental Medicine Clinics (Haniwon)
- Subway appearances
- Yoo Jae-suk: “It’s so detailed and delicate… you must have done a lot of research?”
- Maggie Kang: “I came to Korea to do research. Starting from Jeju Island to Seoul, I visited places directly, investigated, and took photos. Many team members had never been to Korea. We ate food together, smelled the scents of Korea, and felt the atmosphere of those places. It’s different from seeing it in photos. I visited to know the local feel of spaces like Bukchon.”
The director who recorded everywhere by walking on her own two feet to express Korea.
Maggie Kang: “When I came to Korea for the field trip this time, it was my first time in Bukchon. I realized for the first time that the streets are so narrow and the hills are steep. And I felt the bricks and patterns were diverse and special, so I wanted to show that in the movie exactly as it is.”
Details that look as if Korea was moved into the screen, completed after much research and effort:
- Coex outdoor electronic billboard
- N Seoul Tower
- Jamsil Sports Complex
The Harmony of Korea’s Traditional Culture, K-pop, and FandomYoo Jae-suk:
“K-pop, traditional Korean culture, and fandom culture are well-harmonized in the work, so you get completely immersed while watching.”
- The King of Spirits ‘Gwi-ma’ = Actor Lee Byung-hun.Yoo
- Jae-suk: “His voice is so cool. He’s someone whose charisma overflows even through his voice.”
- Lee Byung-hun, who dominated the movie with his charismatic voice.
- Maggie Kang: “Meeting Lee Byung-hun didn’t feel real. He’s an actor who represents Korea. The moment he started reading the lines, we were all in awe. His voice was charming and his presence was clear. It was a great honor to work with him, and the fact that Lee Byung-hun joined made it feel like this work was a true ‘Korean movie.’”
- Jo Se-ho: “Director, did you do voice acting too?”
- Maggie Kang:
- Role 1: A flight attendant pouring coffee into a flowerpot on a plane.
- Role 2: An evil spirit crying in the underworld.
- Role 3: Narration when the gate of souls disappears.
- Many other Korean actors participated as voice actors:
- Saja Boys Leader Jin-woo = Actor Ahn Hyo-seop
- Mentor Celine who created HuntrX = Actress Kim Yun-jin
- Young Rumi = Director’s daughter, Rumi
- Yee Jee-young, Mae Hong, Arden Cho.
<K-De-Heon>, produced mainly by Koreans.Yoo Jae-suk:
“There are scenes where your attention to detail is felt; there were points that really gave me goosebumps while watching.”
- The middle-aged lady met at Naksan Park wearing a sun visor!!! Most of all, her expression inside the visor!
- Placing a napkin and then setting the cutlery (a Korean trait).
- Sitting on the floor despite having a sofa.
- Historical accuracy down to the season-less clothing during the change of seasons.
- Yoo Jae-suk: “I really got goosebumps at these points.”
- Maggie Kang: “Those details weren’t done by me alone. There were many Korean artists in each department. For example, in a dinner scene, if the positions of the soup and rice were swapped, a staff member would say, ‘The rice and soup have switched places.’ Then I’d say, ‘Yes, I’ll change that.’ It’s a result created together by the Korean crew.”
- Jo Se-ho: “Did your husband also participate in the design?”
- Maggie Kang: “He designed Duffy.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “It’s a detail that could be caught because of everyone’s ideas. Childhood experiences in Korea must have melted into the work?”
- Maggie Kang: “I remember going to the bathhouse a lot. The oriental medicine clinic too! Saja Boys busk in Myeong-dong for their debut, but busking usually happens in Hongdae. The reason I made the debut location Myeong-dong is because I was born in Myeong-dong. And my parents met while working at a company, and that company was also in Myeong-dong. Myeong-dong is a very meaningful place for me, so I wanted to show it.”
- Childhood experiences of seeing and feeling in Korea are reflected intact in the work.
- Google searches related to Korea skyrocketed 10 times.
- “K-De-Heon” pilgrimage is trending among foreigners.
- Transaction volume for public bathhouse experience products increased by 84%.
- Monthly visitors to the oriental medicine clinic used as a background increased from 6,000 to over 20,000.
- Riding the ‘K-De-Heon’ boom… National Museum of Korea visitors doubled in one year.
- ‘K-De-Heon fever’—National Museum of Korea visitors exceeded 4.07 million.
Production Period of <K-Pop: Demon Hunters>
Yoo Jae-suk: “It must have taken quite a while to plan and produce, Director?”
Maggie Kang: “It took 7 years. In the meantime, my kid grew up so much, haha.”
Yoo Jae-suk: “Investing 7 years into making K-De-Heon out of 20 years in animation. How did you feel when it was finally released after 7 years?”
Maggie Kang: “We waited until the release time. I just started crying. Watching the movie on Netflix… I just cried. Because I was so happy.”
Yoo Jae-suk: “<K-Pop: Demon Hunters> is a tribute and a love letter to Korea and K-pop culture, which I love and am proud of, and it’s a movie that expresses my Korean roots.”
Maggie Kang: “Honestly, I worried a lot while making the movie. ‘Will Koreans accept this movie?’, ‘Am I qualified to make a movie like this?’”
Yoo Jae-suk: “Why?”
Maggie Kang: “Because I didn’t live in Korea for long and lived abroad a lot, there’s a bit of that. For people who don’t live in Korea! So I worried, but I’m so grateful that you love it so much. While making a K-pop movie, I wanted to show our culture to the world.”
Maggie Kang: “Honestly, I am Korean, but I didn’t go to school in Korea and didn’t live there for long. Because of that, I thought, ‘Can I make a movie that represents Korea?’, ‘Am I qualified for that?’”
- A “Love Letter toward Korean Culture” written over 7 years while harboring such doubts.
- Maggie Kang: “No one expected it to receive this much love. So I’m very grateful to the fans. I didn’t expect this much love. I told my husband, ‘If people don’t like this movie, I won’t make animations anymore.’ That’s how much I poured my heart into it, so I’m deeply moved to receive this much love.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “You received love from so many people from your first work; you must be happy, but also have a lot of thoughts. How do you feel?”
- Maggie Kang: “I have many thoughts. I think there’s a lot of pressure to do well on the next work too.”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Talk of Season 2 is already coming out, right?”
- Maggie Kang: “Is it?”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Season 2 definitely has to happen.”
- Jo Se-ho: “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a scene where HuntrX appears on You Quiz?”
- Yoo Jae-suk: “Is there a message you wanted to convey through the work?”
- Maggie Kang: “The message in the movie is to defeat the fear within me and find confidence in myself.”
- Maggie Kang: “Rumi had a demon mark she had to hide, and Jin-woo has fear inside him. What I wanted to say through the two characters is that everyone has parts they want to hide, but the message is ‘You must always strive to overcome them.’ Even if we can’t completely eliminate our anxiety and fear, I wanted to say that we must cultivate the inner strength to acknowledge them.”
