Seoul: Sales of traditional Korean cultural products hit an all-time high last year, boosted by the global popularity of the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," government data showed Friday. The Korea Heritage Agency reported that combined sales of its "K-Heritage" souvenir brand across its online and offline stores reached an estimated 16.1 billion won (US$11.13 million) in 2025, marking the highest since the agency's inception in 1980.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the figure represents a 35.5 percent increase from the previous year's sales of 11.9 billion won, with sales surpassing the 10 billion-won mark for the third consecutive year. The agency specializes in developing traditional cultural goods featuring heritage-inspired designs, which are sold at major tourist destinations such as Gyeongbok Palace, Deoksu Palace, the National Palace Museum of Korea, and Incheon International Airport.

Officials have attributed the surge in sales partly to the worldwide boom of Korean culture sparked by "KPop Demon Hunters." Noteworthy products include a tiger porcelain doll modeled after the film's character Duffy and cups shaped like the traditional Korean hat known as "gat," worn by the Saja Boys, the idol boy group featured in the film.

An agency official noted that the popularity of "KPop Demon Hunters" created strong synergy with ongoing efforts to plan and distribute a variety of products that promote traditional Korean culture. The official described the film's success as "a powerful catalyst" for the record-breaking sales.