Lee Jungje and Oh Youngsoo Recognized by One of Hollywood’s Oldest Awards Events

The sensational hit Squid Game continues to blaze a trail on the North America awards circuit. The Netflix show from director Hwang Donghyuk has been nominated for three awards at the upcoming 79th edition of the Golden Globe Awards.

The show was one of the five nominees in the Best TV Series – Drama category, while Lee Jungjae was nominated for Best Actor in a TV Series - Drama, and Oh Youngsoo picked up a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series - Drama. 

These nominations are the latest triumph for the hit show, following its win in the Breakthrough Series – Long Form category at the Gotham Awards, a Special Award from the AFI Awards and three nominations at the upcoming Critics' Choice Television Awards.

The first drama series from Director Hwang, who is known for Silenced (2011), Miss Granny (2014) and The Fortress (2017), Squid Game was released around the Chuseok holidays in Korea in September. The show quickly vaulted to the top of the international Netflix rankings, becoming the first Korean series to top the global charts.

The show’s popularity grew and grew, ultimately turning it into the most successful launch in the streaming service’s history, with 142 million subscribers logging in to watch the show during its first four weeks. The record obliterated the previous Netflix series debut record (Bridgerton - 82 million).

Based on Hwang’s original script, which he had been trying to bring to screens for over a decade, the nine-episode show stars Lee Jungjae as one of 456 cash-strapped characters who unwittingly become participants in a deadly series of playground games. The last player stands to win a pot worth KRW 45.6 billion (USD 38.5 million).

A star in Korea for over two decades, Lee is known for City of the Rising Sun (1999), The Housemaid (2010) and New World (2013), among many other works. Veteran stage actor Oh’s most famous screen appearance prior to Squid Game was as the elderly monk in the award-winning Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring (2003).