LEGE ARTIS - Language yesterday, today, tomorrow - Mediating language and culture: An analysis of Korean expressions in KPop Demon Hunters - Vol. X No 2

Aug 21, 2026

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The article examines linguistic and cultural elements portrayed in the film KPop Demon Hunters, focusing on how Korean terms enter global languages through borrowing. With Korean popular culture gaining worldwide reach, the study explains that these expressions function as carriers of cultural meaning rather than mere words. Drawing on several methodological approaches, it analyzes how the film uses Korean expressions as cultural signs that help audiences understand, interpret, and re-encode contextual references, while supporting media globalization.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

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Introduction

Cultural and linguistic globalization through K-pop and other cultural products

LEGE ARTIS Language yesterday, today, tomorrow Vol. X. No 2 2025 MEDIATING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE: AN ANALYSIS OF KOREAN EXPRESSIONS INKPOP DEMON HUNTERS1 Bianka Francistyová University of SS Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Trnava, Slovakia Received: 1.09.2025 Reviewed: 14.09.25 and 27.09.2025 Similarity Index: 1% Bibliographic description: Francistyová, B. (2025). Mediating language and culture: An analysis of Korean expressionsin KPop Demon Hunters. In Lege artis. Language yesterday, today, tomorrow, X (2), p. 39-53. Trnava: University of SS Cyril and Methodius in Trnava. ISSN 2453-8035 DOI: [https://doi.org/10.34135/lartis.25.10.2.03](https://doi.org/10.34135/lartis.25.10.2.03) Abstract: The article focuses on linguistic and cultural elements portrayed in the film KPop Demon Hunters. With the popularity of Korean culture, Korean terms are increasingly entering global languages through borrowing. These expressions not only carry deep cultural meanings but also showcase the importance of Korean cultural products in media globalization. Using several methodological approaches, the article investigates how KPop Demon Hunters employs these expressions not simply as language but as cultural signs that enable audiences to understand, interpret, and transcode their context. Keywords: KPop Demon Hunters, Korean culture, Korean language, Korean popular culture, language borrowing, linguistic and cultural authenticity, media culture and globalization. 1. Introduction The successful American film from Sony Animation Pictures entitled KPop Demon Hunters (Kang & Appelhans 2025) appealed to many around the world and confirmed the popularity of South Korean content. However, it was not a South Korean film; rather, South Korea served only as the setting where the story took place. The production company signed a contract with the streaming company Netflix, which Magalová (2024) describes as the most popular IDTV provider, thus guaranteeing its success. The result of the collaboration between the two large companies is striking, as the film became number one on Netflix and the songs featured in the film reached the top of music streaming 1 This study was elaborated within a national research project supported by the Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA) No. 1/0014/25, titled 'Digital Transformation of Traditional Media Industries: Economic, Socio-Cultural and Legal Consequences of the Platform Media Economy'. platforms (Savage 2025). Its popularity was mainly ensured by the virality of the songs, which many people sang along to, or at least encountered on social media before they had the opportunity to seethe film. The film KPop Demon Hunters tells the story of the girl group Huntr/x, whose real job is to rid the world of demons who see humans as prey. The task of the three singers is to use their voices to maintain the protective barrier, "the honmoon", and strengthen it to its full – golden – form, thereby ensuring that the demons disappear from the world and stop harming people. The demons are also aware of the power of fandom, so at the suggestion of one of them, a demonic version of the group – a boy band – is created, which begins to use its voice and popularity to strengthen the demons in the world. The story tells of the struggle between these two worlds and the secret of the main character, who is herself a half-demon and longs all the more to rid the world of evil. It is a profound story about the search for one's own identity, friendship, and a sense of belonging, which contribute to healing, but also about survivor's guilt, and subsequent redemption and sacrifice. At the same time, the background of the story is secondary, and in essence, it tells a story of the struggle between good and evil that even child viewers can understand, as evidenced by various videos on social media where young children

FAQs

What is the main focus of the article?

The article focuses on linguistic and cultural elements in KPop Demon Hunters, especially how Korean expressions function as cultural signs.

How do Korean terms spread to global languages according to the text?

The text explains that Korean terms increasingly enter global languages through borrowing driven by the popularity of Korean culture and media virality.

What analytical approaches does the paper use?

The paper uses semiotic analysis based on Barthes, Hall’s cultural semiotics, and content analysis.

Aug 21, 2026

Upload by Gloria