The KPop Demon Hunters Oscar win at the 98th Academy Awards was not just a good night for one animated film — it was a turning point for Korean representation in Hollywood. The film, produced by Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation with crews from Imageworks and Sony Pictures Music, took home two Oscars: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Golden”. That second prize made history as the first K-pop song ever to win an Academy Award.
TL;DR: KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Oscars, with “Golden” becoming the first K-pop song to win in the latter category. All seven of its songwriters — including South Koreans EJAE and Teddy Park — won for the first time. The night was historic, emotional, and not without controversy over cut-off acceptance speeches.
Why the KPop Demon Hunters Oscar win is bigger than one film
KPop Demon Hunters refers to the Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation film that swept into the 98th Academy Awards and left with two trophies. The Best Animated Feature win alone would have been notable, but the Best Original Song victory for “Golden” is what makes this a genuinely historic night — no K-pop song had ever won an Oscar before. For a genre that spent years being dismissed as a niche obsession, that is a seismic shift.
Producer Maggie Kang put it plainly in her acceptance speech: “For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this. But it is here and that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere”. That kind of speech does not happen in a vacuum — it lands because audiences know exactly how long the wait has been.
The film beat out no shortage of serious competition. Sinners, the Ryan Coogler film, entered the 98th Oscars with a record-breaking 16 nominations. The fact that KPop Demon Hunters walked away with two wins in that environment says something real about how the Academy’s tastes are shifting.
What made “Golden” the first K-pop song to win Best Original Song
“Golden” beat four other nominees for Best Original Song, including “I Lied to You” from Sinners and “Train Dreams” from the film of the same name. The win was presented by Lionel Richie, and it marked the first Oscar win for all seven of the song’s credited songwriters: EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu-Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park. EJAE and Teddy Park are among the first South Koreans to win Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
EJAE’s speech cut straight to the emotional core of the moment. “People made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud,” she said. She followed it with a line that will likely outlast the ceremony itself: “This award is not about success, it’s about resilience”. That framing matters. K-pop’s road to mainstream Western acceptance has been long and, at times, actively hostile — this win reframes that entire narrative.
The speech cut-off backlash that overshadowed the celebration
Not everything about the night landed well. The acceptance speeches for KPop Demon Hunters were cut short by the broadcast, and the backlash online was swift and pointed. When a moment is this historically significant — first K-pop Oscar win, first wins for seven songwriters, a Korean producer delivering one of the most emotionally resonant speeches of the night — cutting the mic reads as tone-deaf at best.
The controversy is worth taking seriously. Awards ceremonies have long struggled with the tension between broadcast timing and genuine human moments. When the moments being cut are ones that specifically celebrate communities that have historically been underrepresented, the optics get worse fast. The online reaction reflected that frustration directly.
What does the KPop Demon Hunters Oscar win mean for animation?
The KPop Demon Hunters Oscar win signals that the Best Animated Feature category is no longer a reliable home for a single dominant studio’s output. A K-pop themed animated musical produced by Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation taking the top prize shows that the genre’s centre of gravity is genuinely shifting — in terms of both cultural subject matter and the studios driving the conversation.
Maggie Kang’s speech also pointed to something broader: the idea that representation in animation has a generational effect. Children who see themselves in a film like this grow up differently than those who didn’t. That is not a new argument, but the Oscars putting a trophy behind it gives it a weight that critical praise alone cannot.
Is “Golden” available to stream or buy?
The research brief does not include specific streaming or availability details for “Golden” or KPop Demon Hunters beyond confirming Netflix as a production partner. Check Netflix and major music platforms for the latest availability in your region.
Who are the songwriters behind “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters?
The seven credited songwriters are EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu-Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park. All seven were first-time Oscar nominees and winners. EJAE and Teddy Park are among the first South Koreans to win in the Best Original Song category.
How many Oscars did KPop Demon Hunters win at the 98th Academy Awards?
KPop Demon Hunters won two Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Golden”. The Best Animated Feature producers were Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and Michelle L.M. Wong.
Two trophies, seven first-time winners, and a speech that will be quoted for years. The KPop Demon Hunters Oscar win is not a footnote in animation history — it is a headline. Whether Hollywood treats it as a genuine turning point or a one-night anomaly is the question worth watching from here.
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: Creativebloq
