CO-SPONSORSHIP: Korean Religions Unit and Religion and Popular Culture Unit

KPop, Demon Hunters, and Beyond: Korean Religion and Popular Culture

Organizer: John Grisafi (email: john.g.grisafi@gmail.com) 

The Korean Religions Unit and the Religion and Popular Culture Unit invite papers for co-sponsored panel on the theme of Korean religion and popular culture. The widely popular 2025 film KPop Demon Hunters has exposed many fans to elements of Korean religion and culture which the film draws upon. This film is just one recent example of how popular culture, from or based on Korea, intersects with Korean religion. In response to this growing phenomenon, we seek papers that explore the Korean religious content and themes of films and dramas and their presentation and popular reception as well as other linkages between religion and popular culture related to Korea, including music. Papers may address narratives of Korean religion within popular culture and their reception, how religious communities engage with and respond to such popular works and trends, papers that examine connections between religion and the Korean Wave (“Hallyu”) as well as K-pop and fandom, and other topics. We welcome submissions that approach the film and topic from various disciplines and perspectives, and which discuss broader considerations of religion and popular culture in connection with Korean content.