Why ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Soared in Popularity Three Times… The Key Was the Music and Korean Identity

Korea University & KOBACO analyze internet responses using RACOI data

OST and Korean cultural elements drove the surge in buzz — three distinct “waves” identified.

Netflix’s animated film K-pop Demon Hunters has been the subject of a new study analyzing internet response patterns to identify the factors behind its popularity and success.

On the 26th, the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO) released the findings of the K-pop Demon Hunters Internet Response Trend Analysis, conducted by Professor Baek Hyun-mi and doctoral researcher Noh Dan from Korea University’s School of Media. The research, carried out over three months starting in June, examined RACOI (Response Analysis on Content of the Internet) data provided by the Broadcasting Media Communications Committee and KOBACO.

The research team found that the film’s online buzz expanded in “three waves” following its release.

[Provided by KOBACO. Redistribution and database storage prohibited]

Wave 1: Immediately after release — initial spread driven by the novelty of realizing a K-pop universe in animation.

Wave 2: A stable/plateau phase tied to the OST entering the Billboard charts and increased fan participation.

Wave 3: Renewed surge sparked by offline events such as the Seoul Drone Show and a sing-along screening at the Busan International Film Festival, combined with new Netflix viewing records.

Among all online mentions related to the film, the most frequently appearing keywords were “music” and “Korea.” These two elements — musicality and Korean cultural identity — were identified as the core drivers of the film’s success.

In the early stages after release, the keyword “music” saw the highest frequency of mentions. Comments such as “the songs are great” fueled fan-driven participation like OST covers and challenge videos, creating a positive cycle that boosted content consumption.

The second-most mentioned keyword was “Korea.” The film fully incorporated Korean cultural motifs—such as tigers, magpies, and gimbap—which contributed to the spread of sentiments like “I’m proud of Korea.”

[Provided by KOBACO. Redistribution and DB storage prohibited]

Later on, mentions of keywords such as “support” and “the best” increased, showing how the initial music-driven interest evolved into stronger feelings of cultural pride and active fandom participation.

Through topic modeling of domestic online posts, the research team summarized discussions about the film into five themes: 'Popularity of the OST', 'Representation of Korean culture', 'Global success', 'Affection for the characters' and 'Spillover effects'.

These five themes reaffirm that music and Korean identity were the two central forces behind the film’s success. The spread of fan culture — including fan art, cover songs, and parodies — alongside expanded tourism and collaborations with brands also demonstrated the film’s broad cultural impact.

Professor Baek Hyun-mi stated: “K-pop Demon Hunters became an opportunity to confirm global interest not only in K-pop but in Korean culture as a whole. We now need strategies to turn this global attention into a sustained, long-term phenomenon rather than a temporary boom.”

By Na Hwak-jin