Netflix's blockbuster animated film "Kpop demon hunters" (Vietnamese title: Kpop Devil Hunters) had a historic night at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, winning 2 categories: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.
But the film's success was quickly overshadowed by controversy after director and screenwriter Maggie Kang's acceptance speech.
In her speech, Maggie Kang sent a message to Korean audiences around the world. She said: "To all Koreans everywhere, I am very sorry that it took so long for us to see ourselves in a movie like this. But now it's happening here. It means that future generations will no longer have to crave it.
Although these words seem to be aimed at conveying a message about representation, they quickly caused a fierce reaction on social networks.
Many people believe that the creator of "Kpop demon hunters" has ignored the long history of Korean cinema and Korean filmmakers have achieved global recognition.
In particular, netizens mentioned the movie "Parasite" (Parasite) directed by Bong Joon Ho, which made history at the Oscars when sweeping many major awards, including Best Picture of 2020.
The success of the film is considered an important milestone bringing Korean cinema to the global stage.
Some other opinions point out that the Korean entertainment industry - including cinema, television dramas and music - has built a strong influence worldwide over the past decade.
Therefore, Korean audiences believe that Maggie Kang's statement inadvertently mitigates the achievements of previous Korean creators - those who paved the way for international success today.
Conversely, some opinions defended Maggie Kang, saying that it was just symbolic words about the representative role of Koreans in the field of animated films.
In another development, Korean audiences were also upset because the Oscar organizers interrupted the speech during the award ceremony for Best Original Song for "Golden" - the soundtrack of the movie "Kpop demon hunters".
Initially, female singer EJAE - who voiced the character Rumi of the fictional girl group Huntr/x in the film - was the first person to speak on behalf of the artists in the crew.
But when producer Lee Yu Han - a member of the "Golden" song production group - stepped up to continue speaking, the symphony orchestra of the program played and interrupted his speech, and the microphone on stage was also completely turned off.
Some viewers think that it is just a decision to manage normal time in a live broadcast program.
However, the wave of outrage spread more and more after many criticisms of the Oscar organizers showed a clear difference in duration compared to other award-winning performances in the same night.
Audiences accuse the Oscar awards ceremony of having "discrimination" towards a Korean song or Asian artists.
