Beyond the screen: post-visit narratives of American fans and K-pop branding of Korea through ‘K-pop Demon Hunters'

This research explores how K-pop Demon Hunters, a globally streamed animated film, has transformed American audiences from media viewers into cultural tourists and brand co-creators for Korea. Seventy-three US visitors, recruited via social-media outreach, were interviewed about their post-visit experiences and reflections on how Korea could leverage the Demon Hunters trend to enhance its national K-pop branding. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed four key themes: (1) fan pilgrimage and emotional transformation; (2) hybrid identity between tradition and pop modernity; (3) co-creation of national brand meaning, where visitors frame Korea as the ‘real-world stage of K-pop fantasy’; and (4) digital amplification and AR-based engagement. These findings expand media-induced tourism theory by highlighting post-visit co-creation as a vital phase in national image formation. The study introduces a ‘screen-to-scene branding’ model in which global fans actively reconstruct Korea’s cultural identity through their own narratives, digital content, and emotional connection to transmedia intellectual property (IP).