It’s a great week to be Korean. Last year, two Korean directors’ works became the most-watched series and most-watched movie on Netflix. Last Sunday, March 15, following two Golden Globes and a Grammy, “KPop Demon Hunters” swept all of its two Oscar nominations. “They’re goin’ up, up, up—this is their moment. ✨,” the Oscars wrote.
Upon being nominated, director/writer/creator Maggie Kang thanked the film’s fans and crew: “Grateful is not even close to a word that describes how I feel about the hundreds of people who helped me get here. I cannot express how thankful I am to everyone who made this dream come true. The KPop Demon Hunters movie, this team, and I—with this nomination, we are all now part of film history. That is an insane thing to process. No matter the result on March 15, we have made history. My life is forever changed. 감사합니다.”
Kang and her co-director, Chris Appelhans, brought the entire Demon Hunters team to the ceremony to celebrate, regardless of the result. “They all deserve to be there.”
The crew—including Arden Cho, Ahn Hyoseop, EJAE, REI AMI, and AUDREY NUNA—arrived at the 98th Oscars red carpet, striking up conversations and posing for the Glambot, not knowing their night would end with history being made—and an Oscar in their hands.
REI AMI, EJAE, and AUDREY NUNA hug on Oscars stage after Golden Performance.
Best Animated Feature
Directors Kang and Appelhans, along with producer Michelle Wong, accepted the film’s first award. Kang’s emotional speech sparked smiles and tears. “For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took us so long to see ourselves in a movie like this,” she said. “But it is here, and that means the next generation doesn’t have to go on longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”
“Music and stories have the power to connect us as humans across cultures and borders. To all the young filmmakers, artists, and musicians in all corners of the globe: tell your story, sing in your voice—I promise you, the world is waiting,” Appelhans added.
“KPop Demon Hunters” directors Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and producer Michelle Wong posing with their Oscars.
Best Original Song
KPop Demon Hunters hit “Golden” is now the first-ever K-pop song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. Following its Grammy win for Best Song Written for Visual Media, “Golden” continues to rack up historic achievements for K-pop.
EJAE, the songwriter for “Golden,” who also lends her powerful vocals to HUNTR/X’s lead singer Rumi, accepted the trophy, overcome with emotion. She laughed through tears: “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone is singing our song—and all the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud. This song, this award—it’s not about success, it’s about resilience.”
As EJAE stepped aside for her co-winners to take the mic, producer Yuhan—who had been waiting with a folded paper in hand—began his remarks, only for the broadcast to immediately cut his speech short. Co-writer Mark Sonnenblick, who entered the stage jumping for joy, bounced up and down to catch the Academy’s attention. EJAE held out her hand, urging: stop, wait, please. Despite their pleas to let him finish, the jaunty music persisted, drowning out the beginning of Yuhan’s speech.
Backstage, EJAE’s fellow Oscar winners, Yuhan and Sonnenblick, finished their speeches. Sonnenblick emphasized, “Part of the movie is about looking at someone you’ve been taught to hate and fear, and starting to trust—maybe even love—them. That’s what the movie is about. It’s not ‘I’m going up, up, up.’ It’s ‘We’re going up, up, up.’ It was a deep collaboration. A movie is like a village, and we’re lucky to be up here right now, but there are so many people who made this movie what it is.”
“Golden” Performance
This year, the Academy featured live performances of two nominated songs. The theater transformed into a HUNTR/X concert as EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, and REI AMI performed “Golden” on the Oscars stage.
The performance first showcased traditional Korean music and dance through buk drums, hanboks, pansori singing, and flowing flag movements, resembling salpuri. “To be able to share Korean culture on that stage was such an honor,” EJAE shared on social media.
Then the light sticks came out. The stage and audience glimmered gold as the venue twinkled in a sea of lights. Celebrities bobbed their light sticks—some with visible confusion. Emma Stone looked like she was having the time of her life, while Steven Spielberg seemed strangely practiced in his light-stick-waving skills. Online, fans joked, “While everyone’s clueless about what to do with their light sticks and just clapping along, only Grandpa Spielberg is properly waving his aroundㅋㅋㅋㅋ.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: (L-R) Rei Ami, EJAE, and Audrey Nuna perform onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
A Sequel Is Coming!
HUNTR/X’s journey is just getting started. On March 12, Netflix confirmed: “IT’S OFFICIAL, HUNTERS 💫 KPOP DEMON HUNTERS will officially return for a sequel written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans!”
From slaying demons to topping charts and winning hearts, nine months out, the film shows no signs of slowing down.
While we’re still waiting on a confirmed release date, it’s a done deal: Netflix has finalized plans for the sequel as part of a new multi-year writing and directing pact with Kang and Appelhans.
Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria and film chairman Dan Lin expressed excitement for the deepened partnership. KPop Demon Hunters carries explosive power as a deeply personal story that “ignited a global fandom that crossed languages, generations, and genres,” Bajaria noted. As samUIL Lee (the singing voice of Romance from the Saja Boys) put it, it is “a work that has united so many people and has left the world a little brighter for existing.”
With 325 million total views, 케데헌 stands as the most popular Netflix movie of all time, leading by nearly 100 million views over #2, “Red Notice.” From becoming Billboard’s highest-charting soundtrack of 2025 to receiving the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, Kang’s story has been “embraced as a shining representation of Korean culture.”
KPop Demon Hunters’ accolades feel, frankly, endless—its Oscar sweep comes as a surprise to no one. From Billboard charts to Shin Ramyun packaging, the film has glowed across the globe since its release. “케데헌 모르세요? You don’t know KPop Demon Hunters?” children asked my halaboji at church. Turns out that was who was on his Shin Ramyun—and now, on the Oscars stage.
Even now, as the little girl who longed to see more people like me on screen, I can’t help but feel moved once again. The news brings both celebration and a hopeful, healing warmth—a deep cultural pride that Kang herself feels immensely. Pride as a Korean filmmaker, knowing the world “wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters,” Kang shared. “There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”
