Squid Game: Emmy won by Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Dong-hyuk

CNN
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Smash Netflix series “Squid Game” scored several wins on Monday Emmy Awards, With South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae receiving the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and director Hwang Dong-hyuk receiving the Best Director Award for himself.

The miserable series takes place in Seoul, which has become the name of The biggest show in Netflix historyWatch hundreds of runners in need of money play deadly games for kids to win cash prizes.

Lee played the 456th, a cash-strapped single father who entered the game and eventually won it.

The show became a popular cultural phenomenon when it premiered last September and was the first non-English language series to be nominated for an Emmys Outstanding Drama Series. received 14 nominations in this year’s awards. Lee is the first South Korean actor to win the Outstanding Lead Actor category.

After accepting his award, Lee thanked director Huang “for making a real-life problem we all experience come to life in a creative way on screen with great text and stunning visuals.”

Hwang, the show’s creator, said he hopes that Amy won’t be a prominent director in his latest drama series.

“I want to thank the Academy of Television for this honor and also a big thank you to Netflix,” he said in his speech and delivered a shout-out to Netflix president Ted Sarandos.

“In season two,” he told the audience.

speak previously With CNN, Hwang shared his inspiration for the Squid Game, saying it’s a “personal story” that also reflects the “competitive community.”

“This is a story about losers,” he said, “those who struggle through the challenges of daily life and are left behind, while the winners rise.”

Back in South Korea, many shared a sense of pride in winning the Emmy Awards. “Lee Jung-jae made another mark (in) the Korean film industry,” Wrote One South Korean model on Twitter. else called him A “historic moment” for the Korean film industry.

President Yoon Seok congratulated Hwang and Lee on their award, and said that Lee has honed his skills through dramas and films.

Yoon wrote on his Facebook page, “Actor Lee Jong Jae’s wonderful acting has brought the character and viewers’ hearts together.”

Actor Lee defeated nominees Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Jason Bateman (Ozark), Jeremy Strong (Succession), Adam Scott (Severance) and Brian Cox (Succession).