The Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” is not a Korean movie. Many of the things foundational to portraying K-pop culture and fleshing out the world of the film unmistakably stem from Korea, however. Numerous Korean individuals, including hit K-pop producer Teddy Park, were part of the creative force behind the movie. “KPop Demon Hunters” has been kicking up a Hallyu storm—a Korean wave like we used to see that the aging film industry hasn’t been able to achieve. That’s not to say there haven’t been successful Korean films. In 2016, “Train to Busan” did well at international box offices, and in 2020, “Parasite” became a cultural phenomenon in its own right, sweeping up four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The success of these films clearly broadened the perspective people have of Hallyu and they were unquestionably popular, but whether they’re actually considered a part of the Korean wave itself isn’t quite as straightforward since K-film has followed a distinct trajectory from K-drama or K-pop. Movies don’t generate sales of products aimed at international fans, for one thing, nor are their lead actors treated as honored guests at the state level when they visit other countries—and a number of things might explain why. By the late 2010s, K-dramas and K-pop had already achieved so much that when film finally caught up, the novelty of counting each individual win had worn off to some degree, and compared to some of these other mediums that have something explicitly Korean about them, film is, by its very nature, relatively universal. Most importantly, cinema was born of a time when everyone had to go to the same place to enjoy the same sights and sounds.

What about “KPop Demon Hunters,” then? With its meticulous reconstruction of K-pop culture, the movie allows audiences who are already familiar with that aspect of the country, as well as those newly discovering it, to enjoy the full richness of everything Korean culture has to offer—all from the comfort of their own homes. Since the film was released, the number of visitors to the National Museum of Korea has surged, and merchandise inspired by the tiger and magpie motifs of traditional Korean folk art has seen a dramatic spike in sales. Key settings in the movie, like Naksan Park and Cheongdam Bridge, have become popular destinations for fans to post photos of themselves visiting. Meanwhile, the single “Golden” not only topped the influential “Billboard” Hot 100 in the US but is also seen as an early contender for Best Original Song at next year’s Oscars.

The runaway success of “KPop Demon Hunters” never would have been possible without the streaming service Netflix. Netflix has long played a role in distributing Korean content, once dismissed as too niche for the mainstream, to audiences around the world. “KPop Demon Hunters” was no one-off thing, either. Speaking from personal experience, international guests who came for last year’s Busan International Film Festival couldn’t stop talking about “Culinary Class Wars,” whether they were on the job or at a party. Even Natalie Portman mentioned watching the show. And that’s to say nothing of how popular every season of “Squid Game” was. Naturally, this is a phenomenon made possible by virtue of Netflix being an expansive transnational mega platform, allowing anyone, anytime, anywhere, to enjoy their content. But in order to understand how a niche interest goes viral entirely through a major mainstream service, it’s necessary to examine what exactly makes Netflix unique.

Netflix’s recommendation system and marketing success story
Starting with “Kingdom” and followed by a string of hit series like “Squid Game,” “Sweet Home,” and “The Glory,” Netflix has made it possible for viewers worldwide to enjoy Korean content as soon as it comes out. In 2022, Netflix’s newsroom reported that over 60% of its global subscribers had watched at least one Korean title and that Korean content consistently ranked first in viewing hours outside of their English-language catalog. Jessica Handoyo, a critic with “Kpoppost,” estimates that over $3.4 billion of Netflix’s subscriber revenue was influenced by Korean IP, largely owing to “Squid Game.” Looking back, Netflix set its sights on the international market shortly after launching its streaming service. The fusion of their global digital platform with local cultures coincided with a time when people started discussing Korean culture as a whole from a glocal perspective—what’s been termed Hallyu 3.0. Platforms like these have accelerated audiences’ viewing habits of content from across the globe, and the technology has made it trivial to beam movies and TV shows from all over directly into our living rooms and on our phones to and from work.

One fact that’s quietly flown under the radar is how big a role Netflix’s recommendation system has played in promoting Hallyu. If you’ve ever used Netflix, you’re familiar with how every user receives their own personalized main page. It’s designed so that, every time you open the app, it helps you discover content you’re likely to enjoy through a combination of its content-based recommendation system and collaborative filtering—the former recommending content based on your viewing history and preferences, and the latter making predictions based on groups of users with similar tastes. Netflix gathers data on its users’ viewing habits and employs an algorithm to keep subscribers continuously engaged in the experience. The algorithm works independently of a user’s country, therefore enabling it to recommend content regardless of its place of origin. Browsing the 40-some personalized categories Netflix provides, each curated specially for the current user, can easily open up a gateway to someone’s first brush with Korean content. Once all that user-generated data is reflected on the home screen, the system refreshes itself to better match its users’ tastes, expanding the possibilities for engaging with Korean TV and movies. While it’s ultimately up to the viewer what they watch, the algorithms and other systems put in place by major service providers can continuously nudge consumers towards content from other countries—a phenomenon unique to streaming services. Once someone checks out just one Korean title, the recommendation system will put more within easy reach.

Netflix’s unique approach to marketing has also played a role as well. When “Wednesday” became a viral hit on TikTok, Netflix went beyond traditional advertising like billboards and pursued a bold, TikTok-centric strategy. After installing replicas of the Young-hee doll from “Squid Game” at places like pop-up stores all around the world, Netflix saw an influx of 4.4 million new subscribers, while the hashtag #squidgame was seen on TikTok 82 billion times. The same goes for “KPop Demon Hunters.” The movie recorded 9.3 million views in its earliest days, but no one could have predicted the explosive success it would go on to enjoy today. According to “The Wrap,” Netflix made the unusual move of allowing high-definition clips of “KPop Demon Hunters” to be shared freely, essentially enabling people to create their own memes and gifs and setting off a viral wave comparable to a trend in Korea where people name their bias. Characters from HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys, along with the soundtrack, rapidly took over YouTube, TikTok, and other social media, spurring a surge of fan-made content. As a result, songs from the film like “Golden” and more grew in popularity, with real-life idol groups turning them into viral challenges as the music of “KPop Demon Hunters” flooded everyone’s feeds. Even families watching the film at home joined in on the challenges togther.

While there’s no denying K-pop has a highly specific target audience, the kind of success “KPop Demon Hunters” has been enjoying could never have been achieved by catering to the fan segment alone. Just the fact that “Golden” is breaking records by the day and being compared to “Let It Go” from “Frozen” further proves that “KPop Demon Hunters” has reached far beyond the typical K-pop fans, drawing in entirely new audiences who are in turn embracing Korean content at large. And at the center of it all is Netflix. The company has taken streaming’s greatest strength, accessibility, and brought it to even greater heights with its recommendation system, making Korean movies and TV shows that much more approachable to viewers. They’ve also made clever use of viral marketing, leveraging the idea of shareability as they explore new possibilities for the future of Hallyu. We’ll have to keep watching to see what upcoming works will be able to find new ways of building on the momentum.