Credit: ZAPZEE
The global phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters may have been one of the most anticipated stages at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival. Alongside fans showcasing their KDH merch, Director Maggie Kang came on stage sporting her Huntrix hoodie and shared her thoughts on making such a well-received film.
Maggie greeted fans energetically and also impressed with her ability to answer even difficult questions in Korea. She wasted no time diving in and sharing the inner mechanisms of her mind and thought process in creating the music for the story alongside its central theme of demons.
When asked about hit songs like “Golden,” Maggie Kang stated, “We knew the songs had to be Pop and catch everyone’s attention. We spent 100 hours making song documents. Then send them to the songwriters to take some paragraphs and magically boil them down to one line of lyrics. The songs need to carry the story and show character development. No matter what, we just knew it had to be pop music.” As for characters, like her favorite Rumi, Maggie sincerely expressed, “Everyone fights their inner demons, and we wanted Rumi to express that. With her inner demon being a real one. But each character battles a demon, and it helps everyone relate to it globally. It isn’t just Rumi who has a dark demon she is fighting. I think this portion is what made it likable to everyone.”
Regarding the storyline and why she wanted to incorporate such unique elements, such as demons and idols, Maggie Kang offered more unique insight than we could have anticipated. I was inspired by some of my favorite directors, and I loved that the movie contains different tones and genres that could juggle many parts of what I like. I had a very encouraging relationship with the Netflix directors who knew the value of Korean content and desired to make an animated film based on Korean culture. So, they were open to my ideas.”
Ahn Hyo Seop Brings ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Jinu to Life Again With His ‘Free’ Cover
However, despite working with famous stars like Ahn Hyo Seop , Maggie Kang also expressed her concerns, stating, “I worried about representing idols in the right way. I couldn’t talk with any and didn’t know their personal experiences, but the story had to remain global and appeal to viewers. However, just like idols, today’s people have a lot of social media and personalities we reveal to the public, but still hide behind this facade. I think our story shows that if you make this kind of hidden relationship within ourselves and others, we can’t get closer to the ones we love.”
Credit: ZAPZEE
When asked about the obvious theme of fighting demons and utilizing Korean Mythology alongside it, Maggie took her time to process a perfect response. “It felt like a good idea to connect the idols with the mythology of shamans because it is a prominent part of Korean culture. Shamans and folklore use music and dance to ward off demons. It isn’t linked to the specific characters, but I thought it was a fun way to fascinate the audience with a part of Korean culture.
After reflecting on the overall success of K-Pop Demon Hunters , Maggie Kang finished off by saying, “Parents tell me how much their kids love the characters. To me, Huntrix are the Disney princesses I grew up with. They are the Sailor Moons of the new generation, inspiring kids. But, I still feel sad when kids ask me about the relationships between Rumi and Jinu or why Jinu had to die.”
Did you enjoy getting a deep dive into the creative mind of Maggie Kang? Hopefully it provided a better understanding of the magic that went behind creating such a global phenomenon that will impact not only this generation but more to come.
