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S. Korea Netflix mega hit 'Squid Game' premieres in Seoul after martial law

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:959px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733730573426Squidgame_Unit_204_N064080.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Korean megastar Lee Jung-jae reprises his role as Seong Gi-hun in this scene from the second season of &#x27;Squid Game.&#x27; <em>Photo courtesy of Netflix</em></span></span></span>SEOUL, South Korea — &quot;Squid Game&quot; is back. Netflix&#x27;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.</div><p>The show&#x27;s return comes just days after South Korea&#x27;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.</p><p>Yoon remains in office having survived an impeachment bid, with his party accused of staging a &quot;second coup&quot; to cling on to power, the opposition vowing to try to remove him again, and massive street protests expected this weekend.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/7/south-korea-president-escapes-impeachment-over-martial-law-fiasco-2129"><strong>READ: South Korea president escapes impeachment over martial law fiasco<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Squid Game&quot;, an ultra-violent tale exploring themes of division and inequality, is considered to be one of the most significant works in solidifying South Korea&#x27;s status as a global cultural powerhouse, alongside the Oscar-winning film &quot;Parasite&quot; and K-pop megastars BTS.</p><p>Hwang Dong-hyuk, who wrote and directed both seasons of the show, said he was feeling &quot;heavy-hearted&quot; by what happened in his country ahead of the show&#x27;s second season red carpet premiere on Monday, with global release set for December 26.</p><p>&quot;It is extremely unfortunate and infuriating... that the entire nation cannot sleep due to such absurd circumstances,&quot; he said at a press conference in Seoul.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/8/1/-squid-game-returns-december-26-to-conclude-with-3rd-season-816"><strong>READ: &#x27;Squid Game&#x27; returns December 26, to conclude with 3rd season<br/></strong></a></div><p>Due to the political chaos, South Koreans have had &quot;to take to the streets, and must spend the end of the year filled with anxiety, fear, and depression,&quot; he said, adding he had stayed up all night to watch the martial law events unfold in live news broadcasts.</p><p>He urged &quot;the person responsible&quot; for the real-life drama, President Yoon, to accept responsibility &quot;whether it is through impeachment or voluntary resignation.&quot;</p><div><strong>&#x27;In the abyss&#x27;</strong></div><p>&quot;Squid Game&quot; Season 2 introduces several new young characters, including a &quot;crypto expert&quot; who has amassed significant debt and a transgender person who cannot afford gender confirmation surgery.</p><p>The main protagonist, Seong Gi-hun, played by megastar Lee Jung-jae, returns and joins the game again.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ed1sGgHUo88?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>The second season takes place — spoiler alert — three years after Gi-hun won first time around, and he is determined to bring down the organization responsible for the violent life-and-death games.</p><p>The original show, released in 2021, was a high point for the &quot;Hallyu&quot; or Korean wave — the seemingly inexorable rise of South Korean content first noticed by many in the West after Psy&#x27;s 2012 breakout hit song &quot;Gangnam Style&quot;.</p><p>But embattled President Yoon has put all this at risk, 3,000 people in the film industry said in a statement this week.</p><p>Hallyu has &quot;fallen into the abyss&quot; thanks to Yoon&#x27;s decision to declare martial law, the group, which includes luminaries like &quot;Parasite&quot; director Bong Joon-ho, said Sunday.</p><p>During the six hours of martial law, it was announced that &quot;all media and publications shall be subject to the control of the Martial Law Command&quot;.</p><p>&quot;No matter how much cinematic imagination is employed, what seems like a mere delusion has happened in reality,&quot; the statement by the South Koreans in the film industry said, calling for Yoon&#x27;s exit and arrest.</p><p>&quot;For Korean filmmakers, Yoon Suk-yeol is no longer the president. He is just a red-handed criminal for treason.&quot;</p><div><strong>Most watched show </strong></div><p>The show&#x27;s first season was loosely inspired by South Korea&#x27;s real-life tragedy of a crackdown on a 2009 Ssangyong Motor strike, which resulted in around 30 people taking their own lives or dying of stress-related causes.</p><p>The series highlighted some of the most marginalized individuals in the fiercely competitive South, like a North Korean defector and a laid-off, indebted worker.</p><p>The story unfolds as they compete in traditional children&#x27;s games for a chance to win an unimaginable fortune in somewhat mysterious circumstances, with all losing players facing death.</p><p>The first season still holds the record as the streaming giant&#x27;s most popular series of all time, boasting more than 330 million views as of Monday.</p><p>Hwang said Monday the reason why the first season of &quot;Squid Game&quot; was so successful was because it had &quot;links&quot; to the real-life &quot;society we live in.&quot;</p><p>Even in the upcoming second season, viewers will be able to &quot;find scenes that connect the absurd conflicts, divisions, and upheavals happening in our country and around the world,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Watching &#x27;Squid Game&#x27; will not come across as something that is particularly detached from how we view the world.&quot;</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FJoigjuDIks?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Netflix's most popular show ever, 'Squid Game,' premieres its highly-anticipated second season as Seoul battles real-life political chaos.</p>

Netflix's most popular show ever, 'Squid Game,' premieres its highly-anticipated second season as Seoul battles real-life political chaos.

S. Korea Netflix mega hit 'Squid Game' premieres in Seoul after martial law

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S. Korea Netflix mega hit 'Squid Game' premieres in Seoul after martial law

Agence France-Presse,

Claire Lee

Published Dec 09, 2024 04:03 PM PHT

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Squid Game Season 2

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