The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) of the U.S. on Jan. 12 announced on its website that "Squid Game" earned four nominations for the SAG Awards. (SAG Awards)

By Kim Hayeon

The smash Korean TV series "Squid Game" has earned four nominations for the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards of the U.S., including for the top prize of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

The drama is the first not in English to be nominated for the top drama distinction at the SAG Awards, which honor actors in both films and TV shows.

The guild's official website on Jan. 12 released the list of this year's nominees.

The award for best ensemble in a drama honors the acting of the entire cast of the winning drama.

The awards are considered to reflect the acknowledgement of union members and fellow actors of acting skills.

Actor Lee Jung-jae, who played the show's protagonist Seong Gi-hun, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series while co-star Jung Ho-yeon, who played the North Korean defector Sae-byeok, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. 

The two are the first Asians to pick up SAG Award nominations for best actor and actress in a drama.  

Over the last two years, Koreans have won SAG Awards for film.

In a first for a film not in English, "Parasite" in 2020 received the award for best ensemble for its cast. And last year, Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean to win best supporting actress for her role in "Minari."

This year's awards will be held on Feb. 27 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

hayeounk8@korea.kr