The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    BLACKPINK, TXT, Stray Kids: K-pop stars headline international music festivals

  • 3

    Koreans warned against making inappropriate videos in Thailand

  • 5

    Ambassador offers taste of Ghana to Korea

  • 7

    BTS Jimin breaks record for K-pop soloist with 'Face'

  • 9

    SM Entertainment founder looks to future as company appoints new management

  • 11

    S. Korea to fully open DMZ hiking trails starting next month April 21

  • 13

    BTS' J-Hope to do active duty in Army

  • 15

    INTERVIEWNorth Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams

  • 17

    Grandson of ex-president apologizes to victims of 1980 democracy suppression

  • 19

    Gimpo airport to launch care service for dogs

  • 2

    Actors in Netflix series 'The Glory' dating

  • 4

    Chun Woo-won apologizes to Gwangju victims, calls grandfather 'criminal'

  • 6

    Seventeen to drop new EP next month

  • 8

    'Me': BLACKPINK's Jisoo off to smooth start as solo artist

  • 10

    Gwangju's popular Alleyway restaurant resurrects

  • 12

    Korea ready to greet BIE inspection team

  • 14

    Keywords of April original series lineups: female-centric and comedy

  • 16

    Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime

  • 18

    Yoon gov't disputes Japanese media's claims about summit

  • 20

    Regulators urge financial groups to minimize interest rate hikes

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Sun, April 2, 2023 | 20:24
Shows & Dramas
'Squid Game' makes history in Korea's drama industry
Posted : 2022-02-28 17:06
Updated : 2022-03-01 15:17
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
'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
"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

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.

'Squid Game' wins best series screenplay, director and actress at Director's Cut Awards
'Squid Game' wins best series screenplay, director and actress at Director's Cut Awards
2022-02-26 09:08  |  Shows & Dramas

"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.

'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
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."



Emailsunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1[INTERVIEW] Preserving Tanzania's wonders through sustainable tourism INTERVIEWPreserving Tanzania's wonders through sustainable tourism
2Arrest of 3 murder suspects to be decided Monday Arrest of 3 murder suspects to be decided Monday
3Treasures along the River: Guardian trees of Anyang Treasures along the River: Guardian trees of Anyang
4Expo supporters crowd Busan Station to promote city's hosting bidExpo supporters crowd Busan Station to promote city's hosting bid
5Treasures along the River: Anyang's Manan Bridge Treasures along the River: Anyang's Manan Bridge
6Paycoin delisted from cryptocurrency exchangesPaycoin delisted from cryptocurrency exchanges
7BIE mission visits Korea to assess Busan for Expo 2030 BIE mission visits Korea to assess Busan for Expo 2030
8Korea ready for World Expo 2030Korea ready for World Expo 2030
9North Korea likely to heighten provocations in April North Korea likely to heighten provocations in April
10KOSPI-listed companies to start publishing disclosures in English next year KOSPI-listed companies to start publishing disclosures in English next year
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BLACKPINK, TXT, Stray Kids: K-pop stars headline international music festivals BLACKPINK, TXT, Stray Kids: K-pop stars headline international music festivals
2'Me': BLACKPINK's Jisoo off to smooth start as solo artist 'Me': BLACKPINK's Jisoo off to smooth start as solo artist
3Keywords of April original series lineups: female-centric and comedy Keywords of April original series lineups: female-centric and comedy
4Jeonju film festival reveals rich lineup of 247 films Jeonju film festival reveals rich lineup of 247 films
5K-content's global popularity to prompt budget expansion, says filmmaker K-content's global popularity to prompt budget expansion, says filmmaker
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group