Squid Game And Escape From Mogadishu Win Trophy At Baeksang Arts Awards

Squid Games (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Squid Game series and the film Escape from Mogadishu won the Grand Prize in the TV and film categories respectively at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards held in Goyang city, South Korea, on Friday night.

Squid Game won a total of three category awards including the grand prize and best director.

Directed and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the nine-episode Squid Game became the most successful TV show in Netflix history with over 1.65 billion hours of broadcast in its first four weeks after its release on September 17.

Speaking on stage after receiving the best director award, Hwang expressed his gratitude to Netflix and the CEO of Netflix show production company Siren Pictures, Kim Ji-yeon.

"Thank you Netflix for investing in such a difficult project without hesitation and CEO Kim for encouraging me by saying that this is for global viewers, not just domestic viewers, after reading the screenplay," Hwang was quoted as saying by Yonhap on Saturday.

Hwang added that he has started writing Squid Game season two and will return to directing a good TV show in the next few years.

Meanwhile, Escape from Mogadishu is a film that portrays the story of South Korean and North Korean diplomats trapped in Somalia during the 1991 civil war, the two diplomats working together to escape the country. The film is directed by Ryoo Seung-wan.

Escape from Mogadishu and Kingmaker dominated the film category, winning three awards each.

"I became embarrassed to receive the grand prize in my name and not in the film. I am grateful to the crew I worked with and the reliable actors without being affected in a difficult shooting environment," Ryoo said after taking the trophy for the grand prize.

Among other works, the DP series won three trophies including best drama, best supporting actor, and best newcomer actor. The Juvenile Justice and Hellbound series also received best screenplay and best supporting actress awards, respectively.

Launched in 1965, the Baeksang Arts Awards is one of the most prestigious award events in the entertainment industry in South Korea, covering the fields of TV, film, and theater.

The annual ceremony returned to a face-to-face format this year after holding events without spectators for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Baeksang Arts Awards were hosted by comedian Shin Dong-yeob, singer-actress Suzy, and actor Park Bo-gum.