EMMY WINS FOR ‘SQUID GAME’ ACTOR LEE JUNG-JAE AND DIRECTOR HWANG DONG-HYUK

Smash Netflix series “Squid Game” racked up multiple wins at Monday’s Emmy Awards, with South
Korean actor Lee Jung-jae winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series and director Hwang
Dong-hyuk taking the award for top director of the same.

The dystopian series, which was set in Seoul and became the most popular program in Netflix
history, had hundreds of players playing deadly child games for cash prizes.

Lee played Player 456, a single cash-strapped father who entered the game and ultimately won.

When it began in September, the program became a craze in pop culture. It was the first non-English
language program to receive an Emmy nomination for outstanding drama series. It was nominated
for 14 this year's awards. Lee is the first South Korean performer to take home the award for
outstanding main actor.

Following the presentation of his trophy, Lee commended filmmaker Hwang for "creatively bringing
a realistic subject we all confront to the screen with a fantastic script and amazing images."

The show’s creator, Hwang said he hoped his Emmy as outstanding director in a drama series won’t
be his last.

“I want to thank the TV Academy for this honor and also a huge thank-you to Netflix,” he said in his
speech and gave a shout out to Netflix boss Ted Sarandos.

“On to season two,” he told the audience.

Hwang revealed the source of his idea for Squid Game in an earlier interview with CNN, describing it
as "a personal story" that also mirrored the "competition society."

“This is a story about losers,” he said – those who struggle through the challenges of everyday life
and get left behind, while the “winners level up.”

Many people in South Korea were happy to hear about the Emmy victory. One South Korean
spectator commented on Twitter that Lee Jung-jae "made another mark (for) the Korean cinema
business." A different person described it as a "historical moment" for the Korean cinema industry.

In addition to congratulating Hwang and Lee on their prizes, President Yoon Suk Yeol noted that Lee
had refined his skills through dramas and films.

“Actor Lee Jung-jae’s outstanding acting has brought the character and the viewers’ hearts
together,” Yoon wrote on his Facebook page.

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

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/13/entertainment/squid-game-emmys-korea-win-lee-jung-jae-
intl-hnk/index.html