Squid Game” is back. Netflix’s most popular show ever, a dystopian South Korean vision of divided society, premieres its highly-anticipated second season on Monday as Seoul battles real-life political chaos.
The show’s return comes just days after South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol triggered a national crisis by briefly declaring martial law, until he was forced into a dramatic reversal by determined lawmakers, who battled heavily-armed soldiers in parliament to vote it down.
Yoon remains in office having survived an impeachment bid, with his party accused of staging a “second coup” to cling on to power, the opposition vowing to try to remove him again, and massive street protests expected this weekend.
“Squid Game”, an ultra-violent tale exploring themes of division and inequality, is considered to be one of the most significant works in solidifying South Korea’s status as a global cultural powerhouse, alongside the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” and K-pop megastars BTS.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, who wrote and directed both seasons of the show, said he was feeling “heavy-hearted” by what happened in his country ahead of the show’s second season red carpet premiere on Monday, with global release set for December 26.
“It is extremely unfortunate and infuriating... that the entire nation cannot sleep due to such absurd circumstances,” he said at a press conference in Seoul.
Due to the political chaos, South Koreans have had “to take to the streets, and must spend the end of the year filled with anxiety, fear, and depression,” he said, adding he had stayed up all night to watch the martial law events unfold in live news broadcasts.
He urged “the person responsible” for the real-life drama, President Yoon, to accept responsibility “whether it is through impeachment or voluntary resignation.”
Squid Game Season 2 introduces several new young characters, including a “crypto expert” who has amassed significant debt and a transgender person who cannot afford gender confirmation surgery. The main protagonist, Seong Gi-hun, played by megastar Lee Jung-jae, returns and joins the game again.
The second season takes place — spoiler alert — three years after Gi-hun won first time around, and he is determined to bring down the organisation responsible for the violent life-and-death games.
The original show, released in 2021, was a high point for the “Hallyu” or Korean wave — the seemingly inexorable rise of South Korean content first noticed by many in the West after Psy’s 2012 breakout hit song “Gangnam Style”. But embattled President Yoon has put all this at risk, 3,000 people in the film industry said in a statement this week.
Hallyu has “fallen into the abyss” thanks to Yoon’s decision to declare martial law, the group, which includes luminaries like “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho, said Sunday. (Agencies)
Also Read: Emily Blunt talks on career lessons, upcoming projects at Red Sea Film Festival
Also Watch: