Credit: AFP-Yonhap
It was a night of mixed fortunes for Korean cinema at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. While acclaimed director Park Chan Wook’s thriller No Other Choice went home empty-handed, the Netflix animated hit K-Pop Demon Hunters made history with two major wins.
The ceremony, held on January 11 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California, serves as a key predictor for the upcoming Academy Awards.
Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters took home the trophies for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song . The action-fantasy film follows K-pop superstars Liumi, Mira and Joy, who lead double lives as secret heroes protecting the world.
In the Best Animated Feature category, K-Pop Demon Hunters triumphed over stiff competition, including Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle , Zootopia 2 , and Pixar’s Elio . This marks the first time an animated film directed by a Korean-American filmmaker has won a Golden Globe.
Director Maggie Kang gave an emotional acceptance speech, expressing her gratitude to everyone who believed that a film deeply rooted in Korean culture could connect with audiences worldwide. She shared her desire to portray female characters as they truly are: strong, confident, occasionally comical or quirky, with a love for food and sometimes a thirst for adventure.
Congrats to KPop Demon Hunters! The Best Animated Motion Picture at the 83rd Annual #GoldenGlobes ! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wbeIV9Zi2s — Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) January 12, 2026
