Netflix's 'Squid Game' won the 'Gotham Awards' trophy for the first time in a Korean drama.

Squid Game was selected as the winner in the 'Breakthrough Series-over 40 minutes' category at the 31st Gotham Awards held at Cipriani Wall Street, New York, USA on November 29th.

It competed with Showtime's 'The Good Lord Bird', HBO Max's 'It's a Sin', Amazon Studio's 'Small Axe', Amazon Studio's 'The Underground Railroad', and HBO Max's 'White Lotus' to receive the award.

The production company Cyron Pictures CEO Kim Ji-yeon, Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and main actors Lee Jung-jae and Jeong Ho-yeon took the stage and enjoyed the award.

CEO Kim said, "After the squid game was released on September 17, a miraculous thing happened. It is the greatest miracle that this small show in Korean was introduced to the whole world."

He continued, "I want to send the greatest gratitude I can to the fans of the squid game around the world. Director Hwang seems like a real genius. Thank you to all the staff and actors who worked with me for showing perfect teamwork in their respective places."

Director Hwang also shared, "Ms. Hoyeon said, 'If you think that the audience is all naked, you'll be less nervous,' but it doesn't help." He laughed. "I wrote the screenplay for the 2009 Squid Game. Some people said it was too violent and unrealistic. But now this show is the most famous show on the planet. Thank you so much. It's a miracle. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for watching and loving our show."

Unfortunately, Lee Jung-jae failed to win the award. It was nominated for the 'Outstanding Performance in a New Series' category. The trophy went to Thuso Mbedu from 'The Underground Railroad' and Ethan Hawke for 'The Good Lord Bird'.

Others include Thuso Mbedu and Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy ('Queen's Gambit'), Jennifer Coolidge ('White Lotus'), Michael Grace ('Rutherford Falls'), and Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs ('Reservation Dogs').

On that day, on the red carpet, Lee Jung-jae chose 'Queen's Gambit' when asked which TV show he enjoyed the most this year. "I enjoyed it very much. The story was so interesting that I remember seeing it all at once," he shared.

Director Hwang Dong-hyeok, who directed Squid Game, also said, "I am a Queen's Gambit fan," and said, "This is the most fun show I've seen this year. I became a fan of Anya Taylor-Joy after watching Queen's Gambit. I hope there will be an opportunity to see her in real life."

Jeong Ho Yeon announced the 'Breakthrough Nonfiction Series' category. In fluent English, She said, "I'm really nervous," but "It's an honor to be here with great people." The American documentary 'Philly D.A.' won this category.

The Gotham Awards are sponsored by the Independent Filmer Project (IFP), the largest independent film support organization in the United States. The prestigious awards ceremony marks the start of the Academy Season. Last year, Yoon Yeo-jeong was nominated for the Best Actress Award for her role in the movie 'Minari' (Director Isak Jeong).

The Squid Game is a story about challenging the game by risking your life to become the last winner in a mysterious survival game with a prize money of 45.6 billion won. From September 23rd to November 7th, it was ranked No. 1 in the world for Netflix TV shows for 46 days.

Director Hwang mentioned the possibility of Season 2 production in an interview with AP on November 8th. "It's a bit early to say when it will be made or how it will be made."

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Hyun Bin is finally addressing the long-standing "ddongcha" (poop car) theory surrounding his character from My Name is Kim Sam-soon—and he's not holding back!

In an interview on the 19th with Star News, the beloved actor confessed, "I was wrong," responding to the reevaluation of his iconic role as Hyun Jin-heon from the 2005 hit drama. The "ddongcha" theory has been a subject of online debate for years, with many viewers critiquing Hyun Jin-heon’s character as overly arrogant and entitled.

Hyun Bin, who first rose to fame in My Name is Kim Sam-soon, took the time to reflect on the character that made him a household name. He shared, “I was just following the script; there were no personal opinions added to the character of Hyun Jin-heon. At that time, I knew Hyun Jin-heon was portrayed as a ‘bad boy,’ and the way it was expressed was different from today’s standards.”

With My Name is Kim Sam-soon now being re-released as part of Wavve's "New Classic" project, fans are revisiting the 2005 drama, and the character of Hyun Jin-heon is under fresh scrutiny. Director Kim Yun-cheol even admitted that the "prince on a white horse" and "bad boy" tropes that once worked in 2005 don’t quite match today's sensibilities, leading to edits in the 2024 version.

Hyun Bin humbly acknowledged his gratitude for his successful career and hit works, saying, "It’s wonderful and I am grateful to have so many hit works. I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing writers, directors, and actors. Thanks to them, I’ve received a lot of attention and love." He also shared a sense of humility, noting, “But I never know when that luck will come again."

Despite the dramatic shift in perspective on his character, Hyun Bin’s charm and dedication remain strong. Fans are eager to see him in his upcoming film Harbin (directed by Woo Min-ho), set to be released on the 24th.

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