"Golden" has become the first K-pop song to win an Academy Award, with Netflix's Kpop Demon Hunters capping a remarkable awards run at last night's 98th ceremony. From the Grammys to the Golden Globes, the Korean-led film has accumulated as many wins as it has industry respect – and with the Oscar now in hand, the 2025 surprise hit has arrived at a destination few saw coming when it quietly dropped on the platform last year.

For their first win of the night, Kpop Demon Hunters writers and directors Maggie Kang and Chris Applehan, and producer Michelle Wong accepted the award for Best Animated Feature, beating out other popular films such as Elio and Zootopia 2. In her acceptance speech, Kang highlights the importance of Korean representation, the obstacles it took to get to this point, and the doors this long-lasting impact will have for Korean generations to come. “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 the next generations don’t have to go longing – this is for Koreans and Koreans everywhere.”

This win comes six years after the critically acclaimed 2019 film Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, became the first Korean film to win not just one but four Academy Awards in 2020. While Kpop Demon Hunters has exceeded expectations on its own merits thanks to the incredible talent behind the scenes, it would be remiss not to mention Parasite’s impact on the film industry and its perception of Korean film and entertainment. This is a prime example of the saying: “When one wins, we all win,” especially when it comes to people of color, as you never know who or what will open doors for the next person, so that they no longer have to struggle to be seen or heard.

This leads to another incredible moment of the night, in which HUNTR/X’s singing voices EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna took the stage to perform the film’s breakout song, “Golden,” and turned the Academy Awards into a K-pop concert – even just for a few minutes. Following their performance, “Golden” was awarded for Best Original Song, making history as the first K-pop song to win an Academy Award. Accepting the award were songwriter and Rumi’s singing voice EJAE alongside her fellow songwriter Mark Sonnenblick and composers Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam (IDO), Jeong Hoon Seon (24), and Park Hong Jun (TEDDY).

In an emotional acceptance speech, EJAE recalls her past as a Korean-American growing up as a K-pop fan and draws parallels between the song’s persistent nature and her journey leading up to this moment. “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now, everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics, and I’m so proud,” she said tearfully. “And I realize the song… this award is not about success, it’s about resilience.” Of course, as beautiful a moment as this was, the Academy Awards are not without their fair share of mishaps

While EJAE’s speech was heartwarming and gratifying in all the best ways, it was unfortunately cut short due to the Oscars’ abrupt music cue as soon as IDO producer Yu Han Lee stepped to the mic. What was supposed to be a moment of gratitude and celebration quickly turned into one of unfilled acknowledgement, with many fans taking to social media to express their frustration over Academy Award winners of color being given less time to speak than their white peers. 

However, the press caught up with the Kpop Demon Hunters songwriters and producers in the Academy Awards’ Press Room after the show, in which they were respectfully allowed to finish their acceptance speeches and thank anyone they didn’t get a chance to during the ceremony. The crew made room for Yu Han Lee as he stepped up to the mic once again, but this time, uninterrupted. “I’d like to thank our families and 24, my fellow IDO members, and Teddy Park – this is an incredible honor,” he said before ending his speech with ‘thank you’ in Korean.

Likewise, Mark Sonnenblick took this moment to share a few words himself and what Kpop Demon Hunters has meant to him in these last nine months. “It’s a movie about looking at someone you’ve been taught to hate and fear, and starting to trust, maybe even love them, and that’s part of what the movie is about. It’s not “I’m going up, up, up,” it’s “we’re going up, up, up,” and that’s part of the reason we’re on stage right now.”

Sonnenblick put it plainly in the press room: it wasn't a solo climb. From the animators to the songwriters to the singers who turned the ceremony into a K-pop concert momentarily, Kpop Demon Hunters was built by a village – and last night, the village won. The Honmoon is officially sealed until next time.