"Oscars, Are You Ignoring K-pop?"... 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Acceptance Speech Cut to 10 Seconds Sparks Controversy

Backlash Over Forcibly Cut Acceptance Speech at the 98th Academy Awards

On the 16th, at the 98th Academy Awards, after the OST "Golden" from "K-Pop Demon Hunters" received the Best Original Song award, music urging the exit began to play as the recipient was about to continue their acceptance speech. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters" became a double winner at the 98th Academy Awards, taking home both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. However, controversy has erupted after the acceptance speech was forcibly cut short.

At the ceremony held on the 16th (Korean time) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, "K-Pop Demon Hunters" won Best Animated Feature, beating out competitors such as Disney's "Zootopia 2" and Pixar Studio's "Elio." The film then captured the Best Original Song award for its main OST, "Golden," a testament to both its artistic merit and popularity.

After "Golden" was announced as the winner for Best Original Song, singer and co-lyricist/composer Lee Jae took the stage and said, "This song is about recovery, not success. As a child, people teased me for liking K-pop, but now everyone sings our song. I am proud."

As Lee Jae was about to pass the microphone to the next recipient, exit music began to play. As a result, co-lyricist Mark Sonnenblick and composers Kwak Joongyu, Lee Yuhan, Nam Heedong, and Seo Junghoon from The Black Label were not given a chance to speak. Lee Yuhan tried to hurriedly share remarks with his prepared notes, but the music did not stop, and the camera panned to the entire stage before moving on to the next segment.

The Academy Awards instruct recipients to keep their speeches under 45 seconds to ensure the ceremony runs smoothly, using music to encourage an exit if the time limit is exceeded. However, the six co-winners of the Best Original Song were given barely 10 seconds in total. This has drawn criticism for being unfair, especially when compared to other categories such as Best Actress, where winners were given approximately four minutes to speak.

HuntRix is singing "Golden" at the 98th Academy Awards. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.

Ann Hyunmo, the host who broadcasted the ceremony in Korea, expressed disappointment, saying, "There were so many recipients, but earlier, the acceptance speech for the Best Short Film was allowed to go on for quite a while." CNN in the United States also reported, "The Oscars cannot treat K-pop like this. It was a truly meaningful moment, and with more time, it could have been even greater. It is a shameful episode."

A similar situation occurred when "K-Pop Demon Hunters" won Best Animated Feature. After directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans gave their speeches, producer Michelle Wong took the microphone, only for exit music to start playing. However, in that case, the music stopped, allowing Michelle Wong to finish her remarks.

The awards ceremony also featured a spectacular live performance of "Golden." The opening included a traditional performance blending Samulnori, pansori, and Korean dance, followed by a stage featuring co-lyricist/composer Lee Jae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. Audience members such as director Steven Spielberg waved golden cheering sticks in support, but reactions have noted the recipients were not given due respect during the acceptance speeches.

"K-Pop Demon Hunters" is an animated film depicting the story of the demon-hunting group HuntRix as they face off against the demon boy band Saja Boys. In January, the film won both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards, and in February, it became the first K-pop genre work to win "Best Song Written for Visual Media" at the Grammy Awards.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.