13 Categories including the Best Drama Series, 14 Nominations

Nominations for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards were unveiled on July 12 (local time). Squid Game has 14 nominations in 13 categories, including the Best Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Lee Jungjae), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Park Haesoo, Oh Youngsoo), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Jung Hoyeon), Outstanding Guest Actress (Lee Yumi), Outstanding Director, Outstanding Writing for Drama Series, Production Design, Filming, Editing, Music, Stunt, VFX, etc. 

As the first non-English language series, Squid Game has been nominated and will be competing against some of the most popular drama series, including Succession, Stranger Things, Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, and Yellowjackets for the Best Drama Series. 

Director Hwang Donghyuk said, "I am so happy and honored that Squid Game has been nominated for the Emmy Awards for the first time as a non-English language work. I hope this will open the door to opportunities for the world to enjoy and understand each other's content beyond language and culture barriers.” 

Actor Lee Jungjae, the first Asian actor to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor for the Best Drama Series, said, "First of all, I sincerely thank you. It's such an honor for me to be nominated with such great actors. I would like to share this joy with the fans around the world who still love Squid Game and the staff members who worked hard for Squid Game.” Whether Squid Game will be the winner or not will be announced at the Emmy Awards on Monday, September 12 (local time). 

In the production-related categories, Squid Game has also been nominated a lot for the first time as a non-English language work. It is encouraging that directing, acting, screenplay, and production design are evenly recognized. Ahead of the Primetime Emmy Awards, the winners of the production-related categories will be announced at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which will be held on September 3rd (Sat) and 4th (Sun) local time. 

Director of Squid Game Hwang Donghyuk, who made his debut with the film My Father in 2007, is a representative Korean director who has been recognized for both box office success and completeness with new genres and stories in each work. Silenced (2011), which translated the terrible true story of violence in Korean society into a movie, led to the enactment of related laws, and Miss Granny (2014), based on the comic and warm subject matter of 'changing bodies,' recorded 8.66 million viewers in Korea. In particular, Miss Granny was remade in 8 countries, including China, Vietnam, and Japan, making a global box office success. His first costume drama The Fortress (2017) was praised as an 'enchantingly beautiful period drama' not only in Korea but also in North America for its beautiful mise-en-scene and profound messages. His first OTT series Squid Game in the global market could be the result of the cinematic achievements Director Hwang Donghyuk has completed so far.