Fans and media basked in the success of KPop Demon Hunters after the film clinched two Oscars and added to the country’s growing pantheon of cultural hits.
The fantasy flick, a clash of good versus evil drawing heavily on Korean mythology and driven by a pulsing K-pop soundtrack, won the Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song at Sunday’s ceremony in Hollywood.
It had already built a massive global following, becoming the most-watched original film of all time on streaming giant Netflix and hoovering up accolades including a Grammy for lead track Golden, the first such win for a K-pop song.
South Koreans hailed their latest cultural product to infect the world with “K-syndrome” – the irresistible surrender to the country’s movies, music, books, fashion and cuisine.
“So the so-called K-syndrome is now going into animated film as well,” wrote one viewer using the YouTube handle Kim Chang-soo, echoing widespread pride online.
Much of the domestic reaction centred on Korean-Canadian co-director Maggie Kang’s emotional acceptance speech, with the Seoul-born filmmaker dedicating the prizes to her motherland.
“The culture ministry should at least award her a medal for that speech!” one Internet user commented on a news portal.
The film’s dual Oscars triumph caps a remarkable run since its June release on Netflix.
On the back of its blockbuster-style debut, the platform also released a limited “sing-along” edition in North American cinemas for one weekend, which topped the box-office chart.
Netflix has already announced a sequel, though no release date has been set. — AFP
