LEE Jung-jae, who shot to fame this year on the hit Netflix show Squid Game, was named one of the New York Times’ Breakout Stars of 2021 for Television.
On Dec 16, the New York Times selected 13 works and individuals in different categories to highlight the breakout stars who shone in this year’s international arena.
The model-turned-actor has previously starred in several hit South Korean films, including last year’s gangster drama Deliver Us From Evil.
Lee was selected in the Television category, along with the entire cast of FX’s Reservation Dogs, a groundbreaking dark comedy about four teenagers living on a Native reservation in Oklahoma, and is the first television show with an entirely Indigenous writer’s room and roster of directors
In an article describing the winners, the New York Times said that Lee delivered a wrenching and surprisingly subtle performance as he battled his way through unspeakable horrors.
Lee was not the only person of South Korean descent on the list. In the Classical Music category, San Francisco Opera music director Kim Eun-sun was honoured for being the first female music director of a major opera company in the United States, as well as the first Asian woman to take on such a role.
In related news, Squid Game has also been officially nominated in three categories for the 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
