[Econ & Biz] It's time --KPop Demon Hunters characters finally on their favorite K-food packaging

The Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just topping global charts — it’s fueling a surge of interest in Korean food, culture, and even tourism.

Korean companies are rushing to seize the moment while President Lee Jae Myung is pledging stronger support for the culture industry.

For more, we have our Kim Do-yeon in the studio with us.

Do-yeon first, the good news Huntrix members' favorite snacks in real life will have the characters on them?

That's right, Dami.

On Wednesday, Nongshim announced it will launch limited-edition versions of Shin Ramyeon and Shrimp Crackers — the exact snacks enjoyed by Huntrix members in the film.

Fans had already been associating the products with the show, and it was rather clear in the movie which real-life items the animation had included.

Some fans even made their own labels to mimic the packaging.

Now Nongshim is making it official, teaming up with Netflix to roll out the items across Korea, the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia.

I spoke to an official from the company earlier take a listen.

“Just as KPop Demon Hunters has introduced K-culture to the world, Nongshim will use this collaboration to genuinely share the taste and value of K-ramyeon and K-snacks with global consumers.”

Now there is actual evidence that people are more interested in Korean culture after the movie was released and this seems to be the perfect time for the company and others as well.

That's right, Dami.

First off, Nongshim said collaboration was possible because the movie's fans were already making labels on their own to cover the items on the shelf to make it seem like the ones from the KPop Demon Hunters.

Now, merchandise is just a big part of K-pop in general, and so it's natural for merch from the movie to be selling well now take a listen to this critic from yesterday's Arirang Special said.

“It’s not just about saying Huntrix is pretty. Fans ask, what are they holding, what are they wearing, what are they singing? If a song is out there, fans will try to cover it. That whole culture of imitation and participation has been built up through K-pop — and now the film is amplifying it.”

All in all, it's the perfect time for Korea to jump on this as well like you said, there's evidence.

According to Google Trends, searches for “Korea” worldwide surged to their highest level in nearly three years during the week of July 17th to 23rd.

Interest even surpassed the spike seen last December when then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law.

Since the release of KPop Demon Hunters on June 20th, global searches for “Korea” have nearly doubled.

Searches for “Korean food” also jumped to an all-time high — up 75 percent following the show’s debut.

And the government says it's not going to miss this chance.

Now during the Arirang Special we just saw from the music critic, was also President Lee Jae Myung himself and Maggie Kang.

The government seems to be willing to support the industry more now. What did the President have to say?

That's right, President Lee has shown interest in fostering the culture industry.

It's only natural as the industry is doing so well already.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

Earlier this year, at the beginning of Lee's term, the Lee administration pledged to build a “top 5 cultural power.”

The government is expected to inject 51 trillion won, or around 37 billion U.S. dollars, over the next five years to do that.

Now, what can the government do more? Where are some improvements that are needed in the industry right now?

There is something.

Despite the Netflix film's global success, the estimated one-trillion-won — or roughly 750 million U.S. dollars — intellectual property value of KPop Demon Hunters will flow to the U.S. platform Netflix and Japan’s Sony Pictures.

None of the world’s top 50 IP holders are Korean firms, according to a recent study by the Korea Chamber of Commerce

By contrast, the U.S. dominates with 32, followed by Japan with seven, and China and France with two each.

The economic stakes are massive: Disney alone generated about 62 billion dollars last year through IP-based businesses like Mickey Mouse and Marvel.

Collectively, America’s top IP companies earned revenues equivalent to around 13 percent of Korea’s entire GDP.

For Korea — still heavily dependent on manufacturing exports — such figures highlight why building a homegrown “super IP” may be crucial to future growth.