Filmmakers of Netflix’s hit “KPop Demon Hunters” partnered with teaching professor Mijeong Mimi Kim to infuse authentic Korean culture into a vibrant fantasy world.
When Mijeong Mimi Kim first saw the email, she thought it might be a phishing scam.
A film executive had written to her, asking if she’d like to work as a cultural advisor on an upcoming animated film set in South Korea. The title: “KPop Demon Hunters.” Kim, a teaching professor of Korean language at WashU since 2002, had never worked on a film or television series before. Why was he writing to her?
After doing some internet research to confirm that this producer was legitimate, Kim decided to take the leap and meet with the film’s directors. That’s when she first heard the story pitch.
“It was about K-pop idols working as undercover demon hunters,” Kim said. “I had never heard anything like it. But I thought, ‘Why not? If characters like Spider-Man or Batman could become famous, why not K-pop idols fighting demons?’”
As wild as the premise seemed, Kim was impressed that co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans were committed to grounding their fantasy tale in rich and authentic details from Korean culture. Media portrayals are a sensitive spot for Koreans, Kim said, who are used to seeing their culture conflated or confused with Japanese, Chinese, or southeast Asian traditions in Western films and television.