South Korean Entertainment Industry is Now Promoting a “Next-K” Strategy
The success of K-Pop Demon Hunters is causing the South Korean entertainment industry to embrace a “Next-K” strategy to reflect how even studios outside of Korea are making Korean related content:
K-Pop Demon Hunters Director Maggie Kang
Reflecting this shift, the Korea Creative Content Agency has dropped the term “hallyu” and is promoting a “Next K” strategy.
“We are now at a stage where K-content is attempting to leap into the global mainstream,” said Park Hyuk-tae, head of the agency’s industry policy team. “The focus is expanding from ‘Made in Korea’ to ‘Made with Korea.’”
One striking change can be seen in who makes K-content. Inspired by Korea’s history and culture, many foreign creators, often based outside Korea, are now producing works.
The production team behind “KPop Demon Hunters” was largely non-Korean but recreated everything from shamanism and K-pop to bathhouses, N Seoul Tower, instant noodles and beef soup in meticulous detail.
Examples abound. Japan’s TBS adapted the narrative structure of Korean dramas and cast a Korean actor in its hit series “I Love You.” A U.S. production company staged an English-language version of the Korean musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” which went on to win multiple Tony Awards.
Diaspora Koreans are particularly prominent. “KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang, a Korean Canadian, drew on her childhood memories of K-content to create the film.
“Many Korean immigrants struggle with identity, but that itself is a multicultural experience,” she said during a recent visit to Seoul. “Globalization of culture can give opportunities to creators with diverse backgrounds.”
Diaspora narratives have long been influential. The Oscar-nominated film “Minari” (2020), the drama “Beef” (2023) and the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” (2022, 2024) were all made by Korean American creators. (……)
The “KPop Demon Hunters” boom has expanded the reach of K-content to new generations. Even children overseas with no previous awareness of Korean culture are humming K-pop songs and learning about gimbap (rice rolls) or Korean bathhouses.
This early exposure is fostering what some call the “K-generation,” whose continuous engagement could lock in long-term global consumption of Korean content.
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