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 O, 77, won best supporting
actor in television for his portrayal of Oh II-nam,
also known as The Host or Player 001, becoming
the first South Korean ever to snatch a Golden
Globe.
He beat more globally renowned competitors
including Billy Crudup and Kieran Culkin, who
were respectively nominated for their
performances in The Morning Show and Succession.
This year's ceremony was held privately without
the usual glitzy fanfare after many actors,
directors and film studios refused to attend
amid criticism that its organiser, the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association, lacked decent ethics
policies and ethnic diversity.
"After hearing the news, I told myself for the
first time, 'you're a nice dude,'" O said in a
statement released by Netflix.
"It's no longer us within the world, it's the
world within us. Embracing the scent of our
culture and the love for my family, Thank all of
you in the world. I wish you a beautiful life."
O's achievement came after Youn Yuh-jung won
best supporting actress at last year's Academy
Awards, the first South Korean to win an Oscar,
for her role in "Minari," a heartfelt Korean
immigrant tale.
President Moon Jae-in congratulated O and the
drama's crew, saying "Squid Game" gave hope for
humanity despite its gloomy depiction of
society.
DYSTOPIAN DRAMA
"Squid Game", in which cash-strapped contestants
play childhood games with deadly consequences in
a bid to win 45.6 billion won ($38.1 million),
became a worldwide sensation and Netflix's
biggest original series launch.
In the nine-part show, O posed as a frail,
harmless old man, before eventually revealing
his true identity as the sinister orchestrator
of the games.
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 The dystopian drama has
inspired countless real world recreations and
social media memes in South Korea, including his
use of the term "kkanbu", which roughly
translates as "friend", propelling his
popularity as a hippy "kkanbu grandpa".
Born in 1944 in what is now a
North Korean border town of Kaepung, O is
regarded as one of the greatest stage actors in
South Korea, appearing in more than 200 stage
productions since 1963 and winning a number of
major awards.
He has also played many charismatic supporting
characters in film and television, including in
"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring"
released in 2003 by late award-winning director
Kim Ki-duk.
O's portrayals of a Buddhist monk in that 2003
movie and others won him the nickname "monk
actor" and several television commercials.
He said during a TV appearance in October that
he had decided to join "Squid Game" out of
appreciation for the director's insight over
social irregularities.
"Our society goes by as if only No. 1 survives.
No. 2 lost to No. 1, but beat No. 3. After all,
everybody is a winner," he said then. ($1 =
1,196.4400 won)
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting
by Minwoo Park; Editing by Alex Richardson and
Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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