Netflix's 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Wins Oscar for Best Animated Feature

Netflix's animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters" has won the Best Animated Feature award at the Academy Awards.

The film was announced as the winner in the Best Animated Feature category at the 98th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on the 15th (local time).

As the film's theme song "Golden" played, director Maggie Kang took the stage in a red dress. "I'm sorry it took so long for a film like this, featuring protagonists who 'look like me,' to be made. The next generation won't have to wait," she said in a tearful voice, adding, "I dedicate this award to Korea and Koreans around the world."

"K-Pop Demon Hunters" is an animated film about Huntrix, a girl group of demon hunters who battle against Saja Boys, a boy group of evil spirits targeting people's souls.

Since its release in June last year, the film has achieved phenomenal popularity. It surpassed 500 million cumulative global views, overtaking the series "Squid Game" to become the highest-performing content in Netflix history.

Riding on this success, the film won the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song awards at the Golden Globe Awards in January, and last month became the first K-pop work to be recognized in the "Best Song Written for Visual Media" category at the Grammy Awards.

At the Academy Awards, the world's most prestigious film ceremony, "K-Pop Demon Hunters" proved its worth by winning against strong competitors including Disney's "Zootopia 2" and Pixar Studio's "Elio."