Lee Jungjae & Lee Byunghun, Confirmed to Appear, Hinting Gong Yoo as a ‘Mysterious Man’

Netflix has officially confirmed to produce Squid Game Season 2. On the morning of June 13, Netflix released a poster and a video confirming the production of Squid Game Season 2, with a letter from Director Hwang Donghyuk. To the fans around the world, the director said, “Thank you for loving Squid Game. Now, Gihun is coming back. And the Front Man is coming back, too,” slightly referring to the sequel.

Kihun is the main character of Squid Game and the winner of Season 1, while the Front Man is a character who leads the whole process of the games. Since Lee Jungjae and Lee Byunghun played the roles respectively, Director Hwang Donghyuk officially confirmed the participation of the two actors. The director also added, “The man in the suit with ddakji may be returning as well.” ‘The man in the suit with ddakji’ is the character who encourages people to participate in the game, and Actor Gong Yoo played the role in Season 1 as a special guest. As Squid Game made a great success and the interest in the character has grown, there is a growing possibility that Gong Yoo may appear as a major character in Season 2. 

Director Hwang also mentioned that the audience could meet ‘Cheolsu,’ Younghee's boyfriend. ‘Younghee’ is a giant doll character that appeared in the first game, ‘Red Light, Green Light’ in Season 1, and later became a symbol of Squid Game. ‘Cheolsu’ and ‘Younghee’ are the names that appear most frequently in elementary school textbooks in Korea since the 1980s. The audience will have a different thrill to see ‘Cheolsu’ appearing with a new game following Younghee. 

Squid Game Season 2, which will consist of ‘totally new games with more shocking stories,’ as the director heralded, is reported that it’s currently in production to be released at the end of 2024.

Director Hwang Donghyuk, who made his debut with the film My Father in 2007, is a representative Korean director who has been recognized for both box office success and completeness with new genres and stories in each work. Silenced (2011), which translated the terrible true story of violence in Korean society into a movie, led to the enactment of related laws, and Miss Granny (2014), based on the comic and warm subject matter of 'changing bodies,' recorded 8.66 million viewers in Korea. In particular, Miss Granny was remade in 8 countries, including China, Vietnam, and Japan, making a global box office success. His first costume drama The Fortress (2016) was praised as an 'enchantingly beautiful period drama' not only in Korea but also in North America for its beautiful mise-en-scene and profound messages. His first OTT series Squid Game in the global market could be the result of the cinematic achievements Director Hwang Donghyuk has completed so far.