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."

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]