Squid Game: Lee Jung-jae becomes first Asian to win best actor Emmy

Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae is the first to win the best actor at the Emmy. The 49-year-old South Korean actor beats four others, including veteran actor Brian Cox of Succession fame.

Jung-jae holds his trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for “Squid Game” at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Lee Jung-jae holds his trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for Squid Game at the 74th Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Actor Lee Jung-jae, who played the moral centre in Squid Game, has become the first Asian and South Korean to win the Emmy for best drama series actor, one of four awards picked by the hit Netflix series.

Lee on Monday bested a crowded field that featured Jason Bateman for Ozark, Brian Cox as the patriarch and Jeremy Strong as his son in Succession, Bob Odenkirk for Better Call Saul, and Adam Scott for Severance.

Squid Game is a dark drama that tells the story of people who compete in a deadly competition to erase their financial debt. The series had topped Netflix viewing charts in multiple countries, kickstarted sales of tracksuits and Vans sneakers, and kindled global interest in learning Korean.