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| Hwang Dong-hyuk, second from right, the director of the Netflix series, "Squid Game," poses beside the bust of the late HDC Group Honorary Chairman Chung Se-yung, whose nickname was "Pony Chung," at Pony Chung Hall in southern Seoul, Thursday, after receiving the Pony Chung Innovation Award. On the left is HDC Group Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, who is also the chairman of Pony Chung Foundation, and on the right is Park Young-ja, the widow of Chung Se-yung. Courtesy of HDC Hyundai Development Company |
By Kim Rahn
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director of Netflix's megahit series, "Squid Game," has won an award recognizing innovation.
The Pony Chung Foundation presented Hwang with the Pony Chung Innovation Award, Thursday.
"Director Hwang has shown deep interest in and sharp criticism of social issues. The creator has been at the center of Korean cultural content scene with a broad spectrum of various genres and themes," foundation Founder and Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, who is also the chairman of HDC Group, said during the award ceremony in southern Seoul.
"He has drawn global attention through 'Squid Game' and we look forward to his next step as an innovator."
Hwang debuted with the film, "My Father," (2007) and directed movies like "Silenced" (2011), "Miss Granny" (2014) and "The Fortress" (2017), which have been acclaimed for having both cinematic quality and popularity.
His latest work, the "Squid Game" series, in 2021, became a sensation in the global content market and played a significant role in bringing broader attention from international audiences to Korean content.
"While making 'Squid Game,' I worried if this series might be too unfamiliar and strange. But this work, contrary to my worries, was evaluated as being new and innovative, and this evaluation is entirely owed to the viewers," Hwang said.
The award was established in 2006, after the nickname, "Pony Chung," of the late Chung Se-yung, Chung Mong-gyu's father and the former honorary chairman of HDC Group, who founded Hyundai Motor and led the manufacturing of the Pony, the nation's first mass produced car model.
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