'Squid Game' makes history in Korea's drama industry
“Squid Game” costars Lee Jung-Jae, left, winner of the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, and Jung Ho-yeon, winner of the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, pose in the press room at the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, Sunday (local time). AP-Yonhap
By Dong Sun-hwa
Lee, Jung win best actors at SAG Awards
By Dong Sun-hwa
The Korean dystopian drama “Squid Game” and its actors have made history in Korea's drama industry by winning three awards at the U.S. Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, Sunday (local time).
Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon, who starred in Netflix's mega-hit 2021 series, took home best male actor and female actor awards in the TV drama category, becoming the first Korean actors to pull off the feat. The drama also clinched the Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series award.
This is the first time for non-English-speaking performers to notch the SAG's drama acting awards.
“It is a notable accomplishment, considering that the SAG awards do not frequently recognize non-English-speaking actors,” pop culture critic Kim Hern-sik told The Korea Times, Monday.
Kim pointed out that global streaming platforms like Netflix have played a pivotal role in raising Korean dramas' profile by changing how they are distributed.
“In the past, it was challenging for Korean dramas to directly enter the American market,” he said. “It was not easy for Korean actors to star in American series or films as well. But now, content made in Korea can be distributed widely to different countries via platforms like Netflix.”
Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, “Squid Game” is Netflix's biggest hit Korean original series, which scored more than 1.65 billion hours of viewing during the first four weeks of its release on Sept. 17. The nine-episode series reportedly generated nearly $900 million total profit for Netflix.
Lee Jung-Jae reacts amid actors and film industry people as he is announced the winner for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for "Squid Game" at the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, Sunday (local time). AP-Yonhap
Lee edged out several big-name actors, such as Brain Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong of the popular dark comedy “Succession,” to become the winner of the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. In “Squid Game,” he plays Gi-hoon, a middle-aged man who joins rounds of Korean children's games to win the prize of 45.6 billion won ($37.8 million).
“A very big event has taken place in my life,” Lee said in his acceptance speech. “Before coming to the award ceremony, I wrote down what I should say, but I just can't read it all right now. I am so thankful to the global audience of 'Squid Game' and also our cast and crew.”
Jung defeated Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon of the American drama “The Morning Show,” and won a trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. In “Squid Game,” she takes the role of Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector who also plays mysterious games to rescue her parents.
“It is such a huge honor to stand right here,” Jung said with tears of joy as she accepted her reward. “I want to show my appreciation to the 'Squid Game' team.”
Lee and Jung have also become the latest Korean actors to be honored at the SAG awards, following Youn Yuh-jung, who was named Best Supporting Actress last year for her performance in the 2020 film “Minari,” and the 10-person cast of film “Parasite” that won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
The success of “Squid Game” and its actors has led numerous people to believe that Korean dramas are going mainstream around the world. But critic Kim stressed that the Korean series did not gain popularity just because it was made in Korea.
“Popular dramas like 'Squid Game' have won people's hearts because their stories were appealing to international viewers,” he noted. “The producers of Korean content should focus on creating inventive and quality content that suits the tastes of different people, without trying to incorporate so-called 'K-drama elements' into their work.”