tvN <You Quiz on the Block> program featured Maggie Kang, director of <K-Pop Demon Hunters>, where she shared stories related to the work. Yoo Jae-suk – How did you end up making <K-Pop Demon Hunters>? Maggie Kang – I’ve been working in animation for 20 years. From the moment I first started this work, I wanted to see an animation that contained Korean culture. As a Korean! In Korea, animation is made and loved a lot, so I thought, “I wish there were a film that could represent our country!” And I kept thinking, “If a project like that comes out, I want to work on it.” I waited and waited, but it never came. So I moved up to positions where I could be a supervisor and eventually a director, and then I thought, “Then should I try making it myself?” That’s how it started. Then an idea came to me. It seemed like people overseas didn’t really know images like our country’s Grim Reaper and dokkaebi. Those folkloric images that naturally came to mind connected to the idea of demon extermination, a “demon hunter.” ㅡ.Using the image of dokkaebi from folktales, demons with dokkaebi faces were created. ㅡ.The Grim Reaper, traditionally a frightening image wearing a black gat and dopo while escorting the dead, was reborn as a mysterious yet stylish, highly charming Grim Reaper. Yoo Jae-suk – Wow, the Grim Reaper we knew could be drawn like that! Maggie Kang – The “demon hunter” idea was decided first, and jobs like exterminating demons are often done while hiding one’s identity, right? So I thought, “What kind of job could these female characters have where they can fight demons while hiding their identities?” At that time, many teams wanted to make films using K-pop, but no one had succeeded yet. So I thought, “Then should I try that too?” “Idol” + “Demon Hunter” felt good. As a concept. ㅡ.A demon-hunting girl group, Huntrix, born by combining Korean mythology and occult elements with K-pop. Yoo Jae-suk – How will the Grim Reaper torment Huntrix? And then they become idols! This imagination… I literally slapped my knee!!! Maggie Kang – That idea existed from the very beginning. The Saja Boys are also Grim Reapers and are expressed as lions. ㅡ.A demon boy group, Saja Boys, who mesmerize people with addictive songs. Yoo Jae-suk – Traditional culture runs throughout the entire work. ㅡTraditional Culture ① The shaman’s “gut” ritual – The shaman’s gut, which uses songs and dances as ritual tools to drive out evil spirits. ㅡThe ritual of chasing away demons is reborn as a K-pop performance. ㅡTraditional Culture ② Irworobongdo (Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks Painting) ㅡTraditional Culture ③ Wearing norigae accessories ㅡTraditional Culture ④ Shamanic tools (gokdo, four-character sword, ritual knife) Yoo Jae-suk – These detailed parts are incredible. Especially the tiger character “Duffy.” The scene where Duffy tries to set upright a flowerpot he knocked over and fails is so cute and really shows the character’s charm. Duffy is a tiger from traditional folk paintings, right? (Hojakdo – a painting featuring a tiger and a magpie.) I was really surprised by how cute and charming the tiger was portrayed. Maggie Kang – I have two cats, and they’re Himalayan cats. They have flat faces, and that’s where I got inspiration for the character. That flowerpot scene came from a cat’s tendency to knock things over. But with Duffy, we flipped the idea—he tries not to knock it over, but to set it upright. That reverse thinking is how the scene was born. Yoo Jae-suk – I thought it would happen once or twice, but he knocks it over several times. Maggie Kang – I grew up watching a lot of historical dramas, so traditional clothing felt familiar to me. Through this work, I really wanted to show Korea. Of course, this is a K-pop film, but I had a strong desire to introduce and show as much of Korean history as possible. ㅡ.Korean scenery naturally woven into the work ㅡ- Namsan Seoul Tower ㅡ- Bukchon Hanok Village ㅡ- Naksan Park Fortress Wall Trail ㅡ- Public bathhouse ㅡ- Oriental medicine clinic ㅡ- Subway scenes