Squid Game (TV series)

*This article is about the television series. For other uses, see Squid Game.*

* Poster
* Title Card

> *45.6 billion won is child's play*
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> Official quote
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***Squid Game*** (오징어게임 *Ojing-eo Geim*?) is a South Korean survival drama streaming television series written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Ho-yeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi and Kim Joo-ryoung.

The nine-episode series tells the story of a group of people, including series protagonist Seong Gi-hun, who risk their lives in a mysterious survival game called the Squid Games for a ₩45.6 billion prize. It was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, on the streaming service Netflix. The title of the series draws from a similarly named Korean children's game. Hwang had conceived of the idea based on his own economic struggles early in life as well as the class disparity in South Korea. Though he had initially written it in 2009, he was unable to find a production company to fund the idea until Netflix took an interest around 2019 as part of their drive to expand their foreign programming offerings.

The series reached No. 1 in 90 countries on Netflix's weekly most-watched TV show charts, becoming the first Korean drama to do so. On October 12, 2021, Netflix announced that the series drew 111 million viewers in its first month on the platform, according to internal Netflix estimates, becoming the biggest launch in the streaming giant's history.

On November 9, 2021, series creator Hwang confirmed that *Squid Game* will return for a second season, which will air in either late 2023 or early 2024.

## Plot

> *Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes*
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> Netflix's description of the series
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Middle-aged chauffeur Seong Gi-hun lives with his mother in perpetual poverty, knee-deep in debt from a failed business venture and a serious gambling addiction, and struggling to support his daughter after a divorce. One day after missing a train, a sharply-dressed man approaches Gi-hun and offers him ₩100,000 if he wins a game of *ddakji*, getting slapped across the face every time he loses. After Gi-hun takes up the offer and wins a few games, the man then gives him a card and invites him to play similar games with much more at stake.

Eventually accepting the offer, Gi-hun wakes up in an unknown location alongside 455 other people, each given a tracksuit and a number, and all of them monitored by masked guards in pink suits who answer to a mysterious man, also masked, known only as the Front Man. It is explained that all 456 people have unpayable debts, but are being given a chance to free themselves from their dire straits once and for all by playing six children's games over the course of six days, after which they are either eliminated or the winner of a grand prize of billions of won.

However, it isn't until the first game is underway that it's made clear what exactly was meant by "eliminating" players. As Gi-hun finds allies and enemies in others amid the physical and psychological twists of the game, several outside variables, including a police officer with a missing brother determined to bring those behind the game to justice, introduce unforeseen complications that threaten to throw the game into chaos.

### Main Cast

* Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun
	+ Kim Yeon-ung as Young Seong Gi-hun
* Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo
	+ Park Si-won as Young Cho Sang-woo
* Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok
* O Yeong-su as Oh Il-nam
* Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul
* Heo Sung-tae as Jang Deok-su
* Kim Joo-ryoung as Han Mi-nyeo

### Players

* Yoo Sung-joo as Byeong-gi
* Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-yeong
* Hong Woo-jin as Oh Yeong-uk
* Park Sun-a as Kim Mi-ok
* Lim Ki-hong as Jung Min-tae
* Yoon Don-sun as No Sang-hun
* Yoon Seung-hoon as Park Ju-un
* Kim Tae-yong as Mun Jang-ho
* Lee Sang-hee as Do Jung-soo
* Moon Byung-Joo as Player 021
* Kim Ha-young as Player 032
* Yoon Young-kyun as Player 040
* Lee Doo-seok as Player 062
* Won Choon-gyu as Player 066
* Kim Yun-tae as Player 069
* Lee Ji-ha as Player 070
* Park Jung-eon as Player 073
* Jang Hyun-jin as Player 083
* Jung Woo-hyuk as Player 096
* Ao Sa-op as Player 102
* Kim Yoon as Player 122
* Moon Jung-dae as Player 151
* Na Jo-eun as Player 187 (uncredited)
* Woo Yeong-taek as Player 194
* Kim Dong-hyun as Player 196
* Kim Hee-seo as Player 198
* Hyun Jin as Player 209
* Kim Si-hyun as Player 244
* Kim Won-jung as Player 245
* Park Ji-hoon as Player 250
* Min Tae-yul as Player 271
* Kim Yoon-kwok as Player 273
* Jung Mi-kyung as Player 274
* Christian Lagahit as Player 276
* Kwak Ja-hyoung as Player 278
* Kim Dong-won as Player 303
* Yang Mi-seon as Player 306
* Hwang Youn-hee as Player 308
* Lee Han-sol as Player 324
* Park Jong-beom as Player 357
* Son Won-kyung as Player 360
* Ko Byung-taek as Player 407
* Nick Tonez as Player 430 (uncredited)
* Lee Se-hoon as Player 445 (uncredited)
* Yang Mal-bok as Player 453

### Game Staff

* Gong Ji-cheol as The Salesman
* Lee Byung-hun as The Front Man/Hwang In-ho
* Heo Dong-won as Number 28
* Lee Jung-jun as Guard (Ep. 3)
* Yoon Yeong-geol as Surgery Room Guard
* John D. Michaels as VIP 1
* Daniel C. Kennedy as VIP 2
* David Lee as VIP 3
* Geoffrey Giuliano as VIP 4
* Stephane Mot as VIP 5
* Michael Davis as VIP 6
* Son Young-soon as Flower Seller

### Police

* Lee Dong-yong as Kim Sang-hyuk
* Kim Min-sik as Kim Jin-woo
* Kim Sung-gon as Detective 1
* So Yun-ho as Detective 2
* Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho

### Others

* Kim Young-ok as Gi-hun's mother
* Jo A-in as Seong Ga-yeong
* Kang Mal-geum as Seong Gi-hun's ex-wife
* Jang Jae-kwon as Seong Ga-yeong's stepfather
* Pyo Dong-jun as Seong Ga-yeong's stepbrother
* Lee Seo-hwan as Seong Gi-hun's friend
* Kim Pub-lae as Loan Shark
* Song Hyung-soo as Doctor (Ep. 2)
* Kim Young-sun as Seong Gi-hun's friend's wife
* Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo's mother
* Jun Hyun-sook as Fish Shop Customer
* Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol
* Choi Jae-sup as North Korean Defector Shelter Employee
* Lee Choong-goo as Gang Member
* Kim Seo-ha as Factory Owner
* Kim Kye-sun as Dormitory Owner
* Wie Ji-yeon as Ha Sun-young
* Kim Kyung-min as Man Waiting To Bet
* Lee Jeong-heon as Banker
* Kim Min-che as Hair Stylist
* Park Sang-seok as Evangelist
* Anwesha Purkayastha Mandal as Ali's wife
* Ko Chang-hee as Filipino Gangster 1
* Nam Kwon-joon as Man Wearing a Jumper
* Kim Yeon-joon as Child Playing Squid Game 1
* Kwak Soo-yeon as Child Playing Squid Game 2
* Park Jeong-won as Child Playing Squid Game 3
* Cho Kyung-ja as Child Playing Squid Game 4
* Jung Woo-jin as Child Playing Squid Game 5
* Park Ji-on as Child Playing Squid Game 6

## Episodes

*See also: Episodes*

1. "Red Light, Green Light"
2. "Hell"
3. "The Man with the Umbrella"
4. "Stick to the Team"
5. "A Fair World"
6. "Gganbu"
7. "VIPS"
8. "Front Man"
9. "One Lucky Day"

## Trivia

* It is said that the original title of the show was 'Round 6', referring to the final round of the games. Brazil is the only country which the original title of the series was kept as *Round 6*.
* Squid Game was originally supposed to be a movie. However, a decision was made to turn it into a series instead, allowing several things to be added and extended, such as the subplot featuring Hwang Jun-ho and In-ho, which did not exist in the original script.
* Netflix edited a few scenes to remove phone numbers on the back of the Squid Games invitation cards. These scenes were edited after finding out the phone numbers were in use by real people who were getting thousands of phone calls from viewers of the series, who were curious to find out about the numbers.
* Several of the actors had previously worked with Hwang Dong-hyuk, such as Lee Byung-hun, Kim Joo-ryoung, and Heo Sung-tae.

## Videos

Squid Game - Official Teaser - NetflixSquid Game - Official Trailer - NetflixCast of Squid Game ditches tracksuits for suits to play charades -ENG SUB-The Squid Game Cast React To Their Own Show - NetflixSchoolyard Games with the Cast of Squid Game - The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon-Behind the Scenes- Let the games begin - Squid Game Featurette -ENG SUB-Squid Game - Behind-the-Scenes On Set
## References

1. ↑ ‘Squid Game’ Draws 111M Views In First Month, Per Netflix, Besting ‘Bridgerton’ To Become Top All-Time Series Launch
2. ↑ It took more than 10 years for Hwang Dong-hyuk to get Squid Game made.
3. ↑ Squid Game Season 2 Confirmed By Director Hwang Dong-hyuk
4. ↑ It’s a Green Light for ‘Squid Game’ Season 2