Okay, stans — 2025 officially belonged to K-culture. The runaway hit was Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters, which mashes K-pop energy with Korean shamanistic tradition and a story about owning your whole self. The movie became Netflix’s most-watched title ever (yes, beating Squid Game), and its ripples were felt across music charts, museums, Broadway and even tourism to Korea.
Quick highlights: the film follows Huntr/x, a fictional girl group who fight evil spirits with music. Its soundtrack single “Golden,” performed by Korean American artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight non-consecutive weeks and led the U.K. singles chart for ten non-consecutive weeks. The soundtrack earned five Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year for “Golden.”
Industry names were involved behind the scenes too: producers Teddy and 24 (The Black Label) co-produced the track, and Ejae — who co-wrote and sings on it — previously trained at SM Entertainment. Director Maggie Kang, a Korean Canadian filmmaker, steered the U.S. production.
Beyond streaming and charts, the film helped boost real-world interest in Korean culture: the National Museum of Korea hit more than 6 million visitors for the year (an 80-year high), sales of the museum’s official line surged, and foreign arrivals to South Korea reached a record 15.82 million visitors from January to October. Even the Gyeongju exhibition of six Silla gold crowns drew huge queues and was extended into February.
2025 also saw K-pop artists and K-inspired projects breaking barriers at major awards: Rosé (BLACKPINK) scored multiple Grammy nominations for her solo single “APT.” (including Song of the Year and Record of the Year) and won big at the 2025 VMAs; Hybe’s U.S.-based girl group Katseye landed nominations for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance; and the Korean musical Maybe Happy Ending made history on Broadway by winning Best Musical at the Tony Awards along with several other honors.
On the policy side, Seoul launched a Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange in October to push cultural diplomacy and industry growth, naming Park Jin-young — founder and chief creative officer of JYP Entertainment — as a co-chair.
As a fan, I love seeing all the pieces fit together: a killer animated show, a chart-smashing soundtrack, museum crowds, tourism bump, and serious awards recognition. It’s not just one genre winning — it’s a whole cultural wave.
- Fan facts:
- Ejae, one of the lead singers on “Golden,” previously trained at SM Entertainment.
- Teddy and 24 are prominent producers associated with The Black Label.
- Park Jin-young is the founder and chief creative officer of JYP Entertainment and was named co-chair of the new presidential committee.
Source: UPI
