‘Squid Game’ wins two prizes at U.S. critics’ awards

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) — The South Korean sensation “Squid Game” has won two awards at this year’s Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) TV Awards.

According to the HCA on Tuesday (Korean time), “Squid Game” was named Best International Series and its lead Lee Jung-jae won Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama, at its annual awards for TV programs.

For the Best International Series award, the all-Korean Netflix original competed with the Korean-language epic series “Pachinko,” the Mexican comedy “Acapulco,” the French thriller “Lupin,” the Spanish crime action series “Money Heist” and the American-Mexican crime drama “Narcos: Mexico.”

In a videotaped acceptance speech, “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said he is grateful for the honor and now working on the series’ second season.

“I believe the series has since overcome the limits of a non-English series to create many historical moments and breakthroughs,” he said. “I do hope to create a better second season and share it with all the fans and critics around the world.”

Lee took home the best actor trophy, beating seven other candidates, including Adam Scott from “Severance,” Jason Bateman from “Ozark” and Tom Ellis from “Lucifer.” He was the only non-English performer among the nominees.

The awards came about a month before the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony slated for Sept. 12, where “Squid Game” has nabbed 14 nominations, including outstanding drama series and outstanding lead actor.

“Squid Game” is the first South Korean-made content to be included in the final list of nominees for the Primetime Emmy Awards, one of the four major American awards for performing arts and entertainment.

It is also the first non-English language series to vie for television’s top honor at the Primetime Emmys.