South Korea's K-Pop Demon Hunters wins two Oscars, marking a rare Netflix double

Netflix’s animated feature K-Pop Demon Hunters won two Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 15 local time. The film captured Best Animated Feature and its original song “Golden” won Best Original Song, marking a rare double for a Netflix title in a ceremony dominated by major U.S. studios.

Moments after the Best Original Song win, the onstage moment drew attention for interruptions to the winners’ speeches. Singer Lee Jae, who performed and co-wrote “Golden,” stated that the song is about recovery rather than success and passed the microphone to others, but the music continued to play and the speech was cut short as the camera cut to the next scene.

A similar disruption occurred after the Best Animated Feature award. Director Maggie Kang and co-director Chris Appelhans delivered their remarks, and producer Michelle Wong took the mic next, but the accompanying music interrupted her speech as well, allowing little opportunity for her to finish.

The broadcast commentary from host An Hyun-mo noted the crowded podium and the lengthy list of winners, lamenting that shorter speeches earlier in the ceremony had given fewer moments for winners to speak. Foreign coverage, including CNN, called the moment unfortunate, describing it as a squandered opportunity and drawing attention to the disconnect between a landmark win and the ceremony's presentation.

K-Pop Demon Hunters centers on a demon-hunting group called Huntrix facing off against a ghostly boy band known as Lions Boys, a premise the production emphasizes as a blend of action, fantasy, and music. The project has already gained recognition beyond the Oscars, having previously won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Golden Globes, and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, underscoring Netflix’s global reach in animation and music.

For U.S. readers, the awards highlight the trans-Pacific flow of content and talent. Netflix has positioned Korean animation and K-pop–influenced storytelling as a competitive edge in a crowded U.S. streaming market, potentially expanding American audiences’ exposure to non-English-language works and influencing trends in animation, music integration, and cross-cultural storytelling.

The incident also touches on broader questions about awards-show production and live broadcasts, where one misstep can overshadow a moment deemed culturally significant. Still, the wins signal a growing footprint for Korean creators on one of the world’s most widely watched stages, with potential implications for U.S. publishers, theaters, and streaming platforms seeking diverse, global content.