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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows the drama "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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▲ This graphic shows the three nominations of "Squid Game" in the Golden Globes. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- The decision of whether the Netflix Korea drama “Squid Game” will win the Golden Globes 2022 is to be made on Jan. 10 (KST).
"Squid Game" has been nominated in three categories for the first time as a South Korean TV show at the 79th annual Golden Globe Awards, including Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Drama (Lee Jung-jae) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role on TV (Oh Yeung-su).
The drama industry's attention is all over the awards ceremony, which will be held two days later on the 8th. The possibility of “Squid Game” winning the trophies is not small considering it is a series that caused a huge sensation around the world.
Squid Game will compete for the best TV drama series prize with "Lupin” (Netflix), "The Morning Show” (Apple TV+), and "Pose” (FX). The Korean series is said to be more sensational in terms of popularity compared with its competitors.
However, since popularity isn’t the only factor that determines the prize, it cannot be predicted whether it will lead to the honor of winning the award.
Above all, considering Golden Globes has rejected non-English-language works, attention is being paid to whether the Korean drama "Squid Game" will be able to overcome these barriers.
The Golden Globes was criticized for selecting Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite," which won leading film festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy, as the Foreign Film Award, and not the Best Picture. The American film "Minari" (Director Lee Isaac Chung), which made headlines last year for highlighting the lives of U.S. immigrants, was no exception.
Golden Globes had a regulation at that time that if more than 50% of conversations were not in English, it would be considered a foreign film. As the criticism arose, the annual awards show announced that language will no longer be a barrier and that it would rearrange the regulations.
Golden Globe’s past Best TV awards went to English-language series such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Crown,” “Succession,” and “Homeland.” Unlike movies, most of the nominated works were British-American, so the winning was natural in a way.
Considering this, the nomination of the "Squid Game" is a symbolic event. It clearly shows that content consumption behavior has changed dramatically from the existing TV channel to online platforms called over-the-top media service (OTT), and that subtitle services specialized for OTT, which are provided simultaneously around the world, have broken down language barriers.
Pop Culture Critic Jung Duk-hyun said, "The nomination of 'Squid Game' is a part that cannot ignore Netflix's influence along with changes in content distribution," adding, "Basically, Netflix has the potential to break through Academy Awards and Golden Globes, so 'Squid Game,’ one of the most popular shows of the streaming service, could be a candidate."
"The nationality of the work has become meaningless," the critic said. "It is also true that K-content is popular, but if the content is good, it shows how people are now looking for works from all over the world regardless of the language."
It is also new for two Korean actors to be named not only in the TV awards but also in the acting awards. It is significant that the "Squid Game" has stories about the socially disadvantaged, such as the North Korean defectors, the elderly, and women.
So far, a Korean actor has never won a Golden Globe award. Sandra Oh, a Korean-Canadian actress won the 2005 Best Supporting Actress (drama "Grey’s Anatomy") and the 2020 Best Television Actress (drama "Killing Eve"), and Awkwafina, whose mother is South Korean, won the best actress award for the 2020 film "The Farewell."
Veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung, of "Minari," who won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Academy Awards last year, was not even nominated for the Golden Globes.
"Golden Globes has been criticized for racial and gender discrimination, and if a Korean actor wins, it can be seen as a will to change. The meaning of this year’s awards ceremony is greater than ever,” said the Pop Culture Critic Kim Sung-soo.
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