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Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Director Reveals Who Inspired The Characters
When Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters teaser trailer and images were first released, many K-pop fans began speculating who the K-pop idols in the film looked like. There have been several side-by-side comparisons, with fandoms claiming that these characters were based on their idols. Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, out this Friday, revolves around a K-pop girl group named Huntrix, who are also demon hunters sworn to protect their fans from supernatural threats. Things become complicated when a popular rival boy band, The Saja Boys, are revealed to be demons. Director Maggie Kang, who grew up loving the first generation of K-pop, with groups like H.O.T. and Seo Taiji and the Boys, has seen all the comparisons on social media. Though she never named exactly who the characters were inspired by, she could see how the fans' suggestions matched perfectly with the characters. 'I think what I like to talk about is that there are so many certain archetypes that every group has,' says Kang. 'It's fun to see this conversation happening because everyone's picking the right member who fills that archetype and that kind of role and looks for each group.' Kang and her directing partner, Chris Appelhans, pulled their favorites onto the digital bulletin board. Many in the art department added their favorites to the board. She says once she gave the department access to the bulletin board, everybody was on it. She saw so many different actors, idols, and groups on there. The Saja Boys, comprising members Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), Abby, Mystery, Romance, and Baby, were inspired by Korean groups such as Tomorrow X Together, BTS, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, BIGBANG, and Monsta X. There's always a muscular one who shows off their abs; one who was the romantic type ('I purposely gave him these bangs that were meant to be heart-shaped'); and, the baby of the group. 'Baby Saja is, obviously, the maknae (youngest),' Kang explains. '[They] have this look and they're usually the rapper of the group.' The only member whom Kang couldn't recall comparing to an artist was Mystery, whose face is mostly obscured by his long, purple hair. He was inspired by anime. When Kang asked her team why he doesn't have a face, they told her to 'trust us.' 'That's just a question mark,' Kang laughs. 'It was also just a challenge to animate five faces versus four. So that also helped with the animation as well.' Kang and her animation team created boards for each character, alongside images of idols, models, and well-known actors. Though the Saja boys were given their own individual, distinct looks, they all have one thing in common. 'Fun fact: they all share the same CG body, except for Abby Saja, because he's a little bit bigger,' Kang explains. 'We bulked him up like 20%.' Kang did admit that the character of Jinu was inspired mainly by K-drama actors. She names Cha Eun-woo and Nam Joo-hyuk as the leading men on the inspiration boards. They wanted him to have a very classic Korean look, which is why he had dark hair. Though Ahn was cast as the voice of Jinu, the character was created before he signed on for the part, but Kang does see the similarities with his Business Proposal character. As for the three members of Huntrix – Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, Kang says they referenced K-pop idols and models. Kang has worked on Rumi for many years, but her appearance has changed slightly to reflect the animation and Korean lighting. '[We looked at] ITZY, BLACKPINK, and [TWICE],' says Kang. 'Who else? I think it was a lot of mixing.' Kang reveals that Korean model Ahn So Yeon inspired the fashion-forward character, Mira. Kang, who is a fan of the model, says it 'might be kind of obvious [when you look at Mira]'. For Zoey, Kang wanted a cutesy vibe for the character. Many K–pop idols were referenced for her look. Kang's main goal for Huntrx was that they all looked very different from each other. She focused on each of them having their distinct look, aside from their hair color. 'Even with the way we animated them, [they were different and distinct],' says Kang. 'With their smile, you'll notice Zoey has more of a heart-shaped mouth when she expresses herself. We wanted Mira to be long and lean because I love that look on a woman. I think that's so beautiful. With Rumi, we leaned into a very classic, beautiful Korean look.' Kang does enjoy the conversations surrounding the animated looks of her characters. She jokes, 'Yeah, we knew we [wanted them to be] hot.' KPop Demon Hunters premieres this Friday on Netflix.
Forbes
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jung Kyung-Ho Represents The Wrongly Departed In ‘Oh My Ghost Clients'
Agreeing to represent ghosts ensures that Jung Kyung-ho's character will have a lot of clients. Things are not going well for Mu-jin, the character played by Jung Kyung-ho in Oh My Ghost Clients. In the very first episode of this Korean drama, Mu-jin, quits his job, loses his money, alienates his wife and almost dies. Almost. He's saved at the last minute by an angelic being who needs help sorting out troubled spirits. Mu-jin is a labor lawyer, so he's just the right person to help troubled spirits who die with unresolved issues, especially if those issues pertain to their workplace. Mu-jin has no choice but to sign on to represent these spirits, even if he never considered working pro bono. Jung (Crash Course In Romance, Hospital Playlist, Resident Playbook) is comical as the ego-centric Mu-jin, a man who rarely considers the needs of others. Although bad things do happen to him, they are often caused by his own careless and impulsive nature. After losing all his money he becomes a labor attorney and opens an office, but it's not the financial success he hoped for. Mu-jin gets some office help from his sister-in-law Hee-joo, played by Seol In-A (Business Proposal, Celebrity, Twinkling Watermelon). Hee-joo may have some helpful ideas but some of her schemes aren't completely legal. However, Mu-jin is desperate to make some money. So, they team up with vlogger Gyeon-woo, played by Cha Hak-yeon (Castaway Diva, Tomorrow, Bad and Crazy) to scam factory bosses who ignore workplace safety measures. Mu-jin needs to make money but ghostly clients are rarely lucrative. These clients no longer have access to a bank account. Oh My Ghost Clients is paranormal spin on the classic tale of a self-absorbed man forced to confront what's important in life. Mu-jin is egotistical, but he's also amusingly clueless, so perhaps he does deserve another chance. Representing ghosts may be just what he needs to realign his values. Kyung Soo-jin (Shadow Detective, Mouse, Hush) plays Mu-jin's ex-wife Mi-joo. The drama also stars Jeon Guk-hyang, Choi Hang-il and Yoo Seon-ho. Oh My Ghost Clients is directed by Yim Soon-rye, who directed several films, including The Point Men, Little Forest and The Whistleblower. The screenplay was written by Kim Bo-tong, who wrote D.P. and D.P. 2, and Yoo Seung-hee, who wrote the screenplay for the 2025 film Secret: Untold Melody. In the U.S. the drama airs on
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Backlash against K-pop star's deleted photo shows pressure on industry to remain apolitical
Karina, a member of the popular K-pop girl group aespa, found herself in the eye of a storm after a picture of her outfit sparked accusations of political endorsement and breaching one of Korean entertainment's unwritten rules: complete neutrality. On Wednesday, Karina posted an Instagram photo of herself dressed in a red-and-black jacket with the number 2 on it. Many people interpreted it as a subtle nod to Kim Moon Soo, candidate of the conservative People Power Party in South Korea's 3 June presidential election, whose campaign branding uses red and the ballot number 2. She deleted the post as soon as the comments started coming in and issued an apology on fan subscription platform Bubble. 'I'm sorry for making you worry. That was never my intention,' she said. 'I will be more mindful and cautious with my actions going forward. Once again, I'm sorry for causing concern.' Her agency, SM Entertainment, released a statement reinforcing her neutrality and calling her outfit 'everyday content' that was taken down once they realised the potential for misinterpretation. What looks like an overreaction to an otherwise innocuous image is quite emblematic of the intense cultural pressure placed on South Korean celebrities, especially K-pop idols, to practise near-total political abstinence. The expectations are so high that idols often avoid colours, numbers or gestures that could be misread, no matter how coincidental the context. This level of hyper-vigilance stems from the deeply embedded expectation that K-pop idols function as cultural blank slates; figures onto whom fans can project ideals, rather than individuals with opinions or personal leanings. In such an environment, even the faintest suggestion of partisanship or socially loaded behaviour can and does trigger major criticism. The latest wave of scrutiny arrived against the backdrop of a tumultuous election. South Koreans are heading to the polls on 3 June, in a snap presidential election triggered by the impeachment of president Yoon Suk Yeol in April. Yoon was removed from office after controversially invoking martial law in December 2024, a decision that led to nationwide protests and his eventual downfall in the National Assembly. The leading candidate is Lee Jae Myung of the liberal Democratic Party whose campaign has focused on economic equity and foreign policy reform. Around election season, K-pop idols are warned against wearing colours associated with the major political parties: red for the People Power Party, blue for Democratic Party, yellow and green for the Green Justice Party, and so on. Even benign hand gestures like the peace sign or a thumbs up, when done near polling places or shared online, are discouraged because they can mimic party or candidate ballot numbers. Failure to follow these unwritten rules often results in immediate backlash. In 2018, entertainer Yoo Jae Suk faced criticism for wearing a blue cap during the 2018 regional election, and in 2020 trot singer Song Ga In had to apologise for wearing a blue shirt in a video made by the National Election Commission to encourage voting. This level of scrutiny of Korean celebrities is not limited to politics but extends to historical sensitivities and even personal lives. BTS 's Suga faced fan outrage and protest wreaths after being fined for drunk-driving an electric scooter, an act that was treated by some fans as grounds for expulsion from the group. Similarly, Karina was accused of 'betrayal' by fans and forced to issue an apology last year after they found out she was dating actor Lee Jae Wook. Idols have also issued apologies for travelling to Japan, which has a fraught history with Korea, during sensitive national holidays and for making what fans have considered insensitive comments related to Korean history. However, some idols seem to have figured out a way to bypass these arbitrary rules. ZeroBaseOne's Kim Tae Rae addressed election season etiquette in a post on a fan platform where he could be seen flashing a 'V' sign, which can be interpreted as a reference to Kim Moon Soo. To avoid any issues, Kim joked that he was balancing out any speculation with the colour of his phone – blue.
