Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
LA designates Sept. 17 'Squid Game Day'
A poster for Netflix series “Squid Game.” Los Angeles has designated Sept. 17 “Squid Game Day.” Courtesy of Netflix
By Kim Rahn
By Kim Rahn
The resolution passed by the Los Angeles City Council that recognizes Sept. 17 as “Squid Game Day” / Screenshot from Yonhap News Agency
The Los Angeles City Council has designated Sept. 17 “Squid Game Day,” in recognition of the influence of the megahit Netflix series, “Squid Game,” on increasing the representation of Asian communities in the U.S. entertainment industry.
According to the resolution passed recently at the council, made public by councilmember John Lee of District 12 through Yonhap News, Thursday, the California city will recognize the Korean dystopian drama every year on Sept. 17, the date when it was released in 2021.
Lee, who is Korean American, said this may be the first time in the U.S. that a commemoration day is designated for a specific drama, according to Yonhap.
The resolution noted that “Squid Game” is the most-watched Netflix original series to date and “it was the first ever Korean series on Netflix to reach number 1 in the U.S., breaking the barrier that many foreign language shows face with western audiences simply because of subtitles.”
It said the drama introduced diverse sides of Korean culture to the U.S. and the world, and has made history by being nominated and winning prizes at numerous American and international awards, including at the Emmy Awards, mostly as the first Korean and first foreign language series to do so.
“'Squid Game' marks another victory in the fight to grow representation of the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community in film and entertainment, exposing audiences to Korean culture and traditions while paving the way for other AAPI communities to also have their stories told,” the resolution read.
A ceremony to celebrate the designation will take place in front of LA City Hall on Friday, attended by Mayor Eric Garcetti, “Squid Game” director Hwang Dong-hyuk, actor Lee Jung-jae and Kim Ji-yeon, the CEO of the series' producer Siren Pictures.