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| Lee Jung-jae, left, and Oh Young-soo will not be attending this year's Golden Globe Awards. Korea Times file |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk of Netflix's smash-hit series, "Squid Game," and its cast members, Lee Jung-jae and Oh Young-soo, will not be attending the 79th Golden Globe Awards, despite their nominations.
Actor Lee's agency, Artist Company, told local media outlets, Wednesday that Lee has decided not to join this year's ceremony due to several circumstances.
"As many know, Netflix did not submit the series to the Golden Globes," the agency said. "Also, considering the spread of COVID-19 and the mandatory quarantine regulations both in and out of the country, he has decided not to attend."
The series, which was a global sensation since premiering last September, has earned a nomination for Best Television Series. Lee, who played the lead character, Seong Gi-hun, has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series and Oh, who played the supporting role, Oh Il-nam, has been shortlisted for Best Supporting Actor.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's awards have been facing a backlash from the industry, due to issues such as the lack of racial diversity in its voting body and ethical lapses that surfaced last year.
The award's long-time network sponsor, NBC, has withdrawn itself from broadcasting this year's ceremony.
Although there hasn't been an official boycott movement, many major media companies, including Netflix, Warner Media and Amazon, have been reluctant to take part in the awards. For this year's nominations, official submissions were not required for consideration.
The ceremony will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, with no audience and no red carpet event.
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