The Saja Boys of KPop Demon Hunters took over New York Comic Con 2026, and in a new interview with Anime Herald, the team behind the film’s breakout boy band opened up about how the Netflix hit became a global phenomenon — and why its cultural authenticity is the secret to its success.
Saja Boys (Credits: Netflix)
Speaking with Anime Herald at NYCC 2026, Rich Ting — the actor, producer and talent manager who represents Andrew Choi, the singing voice of Saja Boys leader Jinu — traced his journey with the project back to his own two decades in Hollywood and his deep connections in the K-pop world.
How Rich Ting Connected With the Saja Boys
Ting explained that after opening his own production company, with talent management as one of its verticals, his work in Korea put him in touch with Choi. That relationship grew from early collaborations into a full manager-talent partnership, and Ting says he has been alongside Choi since before Huntrix debuted in the film.
His own history in the industry runs deep: one of his first films, back in 2010, starred BoA, the K-pop star associated with SM Entertainment, the company Ting describes as the founding force of K-pop in Korea. Through that network, he was able to connect with Choi and later with Neckwav, another voice behind the Saja Boys.
From No Seat at the Table to Fans Demanding Culture
For Ting, the most striking part of the KPop Demon Hunters story is the reversal it represents. As a Chinese/Japanese fourth-generation American actor, he spent years in an industry where Asian and Asian-American leading men had, in his words, no seat at the table — convincing casting directors they could play a police officer or a firefighter, roles that often went instead to superstars flown in from Asia.
Now, he says, the dynamic has flipped completely. Fans are no longer being persuaded to care about Korean culture — they are demanding it. “They are demanding culture, they are demanding K-this, K-that,” Ting said, calling the turnaround mind-blowing after years of asking for even a small glimpse of his culture on screen.
That shift shows up in the details, too. Ting recalled how streamers once insisted on Western American accents for dubbed work, even when authentic pronunciation was available. Today, he says, older shows are being revisited so that Korean foods and terms are called by their real names instead of being flattened into English approximations — because global audiences now know and want the real thing.
Why Authenticity Is Winning Over Global Audiences
Ting’s core argument is simple: the reason KPop Demon Hunters connects worldwide is that it never diluted itself. There are global fans, including Korean Americans, who feel disconnected from the culture of their motherland, and the film gives them something genuine to hold onto — often without them even realising how authentic it is.
That authenticity, combined with the film’s runaway success, has turned the Saja Boys from fictional rivals into real-world stars, with the voices behind Jinu and the group now fielding the kind of attention usually reserved for actual K-pop idols. For Ting, who watched the phenomenon build from the inside, the NYCC appearance was a full-circle moment: from fighting for representation to watching fans celebrate it on one of pop culture’s biggest stages.
Also Read: KPop Demon Hunters 2 Lands Guaranteed Theatrical Release After First Film’s Record-Breaking Netflix Run | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, One Piece, KPop Demon Hunters Nominated for Kids’ Choice Awards
Source: Anime Herald — read the full story there.
