A South Korean show has stolen another awards night in the City of Angeles as “Squid Game” became the first non-English TV show to pick up two major trophies at the Emmys Awards, or U.S. TV celebration, for best directing and acting.

Hwang Dong-hyuk won best directing for Netfilx mega-hit Squid Game, a series about a deadly game of survival where contestants compete to the death for the prize money of 45.6 billion won ($33.1 million), and Lee Jung-jae, who played Player 456, the best actor award. Lee Yoo-mi was named the best guest actress at the 74th annual Emmy Awards held in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Hwang and Lee became the first South Korean and Asian to win Outstanding Directing for a drama series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series, respectively. Lee You-mi also became the first Asian and South Korean actress to win Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series.

The show had already made history as the first non-English language show to be nominated for 14 Emmys in major categories. It ended up winning six Emmys.

Hwang thanked the U.S. TV Academy and Netflix and raised expectations for the next series: “One to the season two.”

The Emmys are regarded as one of the four major American awards for the performing arts - the others being the Grammys for music, the Oscars for film, and the Tonys for stage theatre.

Squid Game was also the first non-English language film to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, the top award of the ceremony, since the first Emmys aired in 1949.

Lee beat out Jason Bateman from "Ozark," Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong from "Succession," Bob Odenkirk from "Better Call Saul" and Adam Scott from "Severance“ for his lead actor prize.

Lee’s Primetime Emmy follows his lead actor awards from other prestigious award ceremonies such as the Screen Actors Guild Award, Independent Spirit Awards, and Critics` Choice Television Award.

Prior to the Emmys, Lee and Hwang, accompanied by the executive producer of Squid Game Kim Ji-yeon, attended a ceremony held last Friday for the resolution that was passed by the Los Angeles City Council proclaiming September 17 as “Squid Game Day” as part of the city’s efforts to promote harmony of the Asian-Pacific community.

Lee was asked by reporters before the ceremony about him landing the male lead role in the new Disney+ Star Wars series “The Acolyte”, which he neither denied nor confirmed.

By Pulse

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