[OSEN=Kim Chae-yeon] The Netflix animated film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ experienced a bittersweet moment at the 98th Academy Awards by winning two awards but facing disappointment due to an interrupted acceptance speech.
On the morning of the 16th (Korean time), at the 98th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the Netflix animated film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ won the Best Original Song award for its OST ‘Golden’.
On that day, ‘Golden’ was so favored to win that it performed on the Academy Awards stage. It indeed triumphed, surpassing other nominated songs such as ‘Dear Me’ from ‘Diane Never Dies’, ‘Train Dreams’ from ‘Dream of a Train’, ‘Sweet Dreams Of Joy’ from ‘Viva Verdi!’, and ‘I Lied To You’ from ‘Sinners’.
On stage, Lee Jae said, “Thank you. I am truly grateful to the Academy for this great award,” with a quivering voice. He continued, “People used to tease me for liking K-pop as I was growing up, but now everyone sings the songs. Like the song, I realized this award is about resilience, not success. I feel grateful to my family and everyone who supported me. Thank you so much, Netflix.”
Lee Jae and the composers of ‘Golden’, including IDO, 24, Teddy, and Mark, all came on stage, but after Lee Jae finished his speech, music signaling the end of the speech played. They hurriedly grabbed the microphone to continue, but the music did not stop, leading to disappointment as not all winners could deliver their speeches.
Ah Hyun-mo, who was broadcasting this, expressed frustration, saying, “The acceptance speech for the Best Short Film was lengthy,” highlighting the dissatisfaction with the short time allotted for the Best Original Song acceptance speech. Viewers also reacted with disappointment, saying things like “Isn’t this racism?” “It’s too much to not let them read their notes,” and “They should have been given a longer time.”
Meanwhile, ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ is a work that tells the story of the K-pop idol girl group Huntress protecting the world from demons. Since its release in June last year, it has surpassed 500 million cumulative views globally, becoming the most-watched film among Netflix’s content. Additionally, the OST ‘Golden’ topped the Billboard ‘Hot 100’.