South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the cast of “Squid Game” congratulated 77-year-old actor O Yeong-su for winning at the 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards held in Los Angeles on Jan. 9.
O Yeong-su made history as the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe, his biggest acting award in his 58-year career that started in 1963.
He won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role on Television for his role in Netflix’s global hit Korean series “Squid Game.”
The Korean star defeated Billy Crudup of “The Morning Show,” “Kieran Culkin of “Succession,” “Mark Duplass of “The Morning Show” and “Brett Goldstein of “Ted Lasso” for the award.
In “Squid Game,” O Yeong-su is player No. 001 Oh Il-nam who has a brain tumor. The drama tells the story of 456 debt-ridden individuals who are recruited to play deadly games for a prize of 45.6 billion won (about $38.5 million).
“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama but failed to win. “Squid Game” was also nominated for Best Television Series-Drama, which went to “Succession.”
President Moon congratulated O Yeong-su for his Golden Globes win.
“His journey of acting for more than half a century eventually overcame borders and cultural differences, creating great emotional and lingering impressions on the world stage. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to actor Oh Young-soo, also known as ‘Gganbu Grandpa,’” said the president, according to the Korea Herald. “Gganbu” means “true friend.”
The president added, “The message that ‘Squid Game’ delivers is heavy. On the outside, it shows an extreme game that separates winners and losers, but there is a hidden message that tells the story of not losing hope and humanity despite the difficulties.”
He also mentioned Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, saying, “Unfortunately, they did not win, but I would like to give a round of applause to director Hwang Dong-hyuk and the production crew, who made us proud and raised our nation’s status, and also to actor Lee Jung-jae, who gave his best performance.”
Lee Jung-jae congratulated O Yeung-su in an Instagram post.
“Congratulations, teacher Il-nam. All the scenes I had with the teacher were an honor,” he wrote.
Actress Kim Joo-ryoung, who is Han Mi-nyeo in “Squid Game,” posted, “Sincere congratulations, sir. Always be healthy.”
“Look up to you,” wrote actor Heo Sung-tae, who played Jang Deok-su in the drama.