Squid Game director teases Ki-hoon’s transformation

“In season 1, Sung Ki-hoon was a naïve man, joining the game simply to make some money without fully understanding it. But in season 2, he becomes a man on a mission for revenge, actively re-entering the game to confront its organizers,” said director Hwang Dong-hyuk at a press preview for Squid Game season 2, highlighting the dramatic shift in the main character.

Hwang noted that Ki-hoon’s intense showdown with the Front Man, played by actor Lee Byung-hun, will be a pivotal storyline. “I killed off characters that viewers loved in season 1, but season 2 will introduce equally compelling characters,” Hwang said. “The vote on whether to continue the game or leave will play an even more crucial role this season.”

Hwang revealed that he aimed to reflect real-world divisions by portraying groups divided by their votes to continue or quit. “I wanted to remind viewers of the polarization happening globally—the tendency to split, take sides, and label others as either right or wrong,” he said. “This leads to escalating attacks on one another, and I wanted to explore this dynamic.”

The press preview took place four months ahead of the season 2 release, scheduled for December 26. While a preview video was shown to journalists, specific details from the event remain under embargo until Wednesday. Kim Ji-yeon, director of First Man Studio, who attended alongside Hwang, mentioned that to prevent spoilers, actors are only given scripts up to their character’s exit, with only a select few knowing the full storyline.

Hwang added that season 2 is crafted with international fans in mind. “Though the story remains rooted in Korean culture, Squid Game has been embraced worldwide, so I included more universally appealing elements to ensure it needs little explanation,” he said. “While some games are traditional to Korea, others are familiar to audiences everywhere.”


이호재기자 hoho@donga.com