In the Netflix animated feature K-Pop Demon Hunters, the Lions Boys are a fictional boy group whose music continues into the real world. The Korea Music Performing Artists Association (음실련), designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to collect performer royalties, has said that five vocal artists from Lions Boys have joined as members. This marks a notable step in translating a fictional group’s story into real-world artistic participation.

The newly registered performers are Danny Chung and samUIL Lee, joining the previously established five Lions Boys vocalists Andrew Choi, Neckwav, and Kevin Woo as the real-life vocal leads behind K‑DeHun’s Lions Boys. Andrew Choi, who placed third on SBS’s K-Pop Star Season 2, has written hits for top K-pop acts such as SHINee, EXO, and NCT. Kevin Woo, a former member of U-Kiss, has continued to perform as a solo artist and across musical theatre. The remaining members are also active as producers, vocalists, and songwriters in their respective domains.

This development suggests that the Korean performer’s rights ecosystem is earning trust from artists who operate overseas; the trend indicates that K‑POP content is increasingly consumed worldwide and that 음실련 is aiming to support both domestic and international talent. Cho Hyun, head of 음실련’s Overseas DB Team, said that “in an era when K-POP content reaches global audiences, it is meaningful that overseas-based artists voluntarily joined 음실련; as music produced and released in Korea is consumed globally, 음실련 will continue to play a central role in ensuring rights for performers both at home and abroad.”

Founded in 1988, 음실련 represents performers across genres—pop, traditional, classical—such as singers, instrumentalists, vocalists, and conductors, with notable growth including Wendy of Red Velvet joining as one of its members. Membership is open to performers who contributed to recordings or songs, and the association has streamlined onboarding and performer information registration to improve accessibility. 음실련 also operates welfare programs and support initiatives for performers, including celebration grants, veteran welfare funds, medical subsidies, and resort usage support.