The streaming platform released a video on its Korean content-dedicated YouTube channel, Netflix K-content, to showcase the characters for the upcoming second season of the series. With most of the characters from the first season no longer present, the series’ director Hwang Dong-hyuk introduced more dynamics by adding new characters with backstories, as well as connections linking some of them together.
“I felt that having characters with backstories would be much more interesting,” said director Hwang.
“Casting people with backstories and putting them in the games would make it much more entertaining to watch. After all, it’s a story for the spectators.”
Former Big Bang member Choi Seung-hyun plays a retired rapper named Thanos. Thanos is a character who decides to participate in the survival games to make up for his financial losses after squandering all his money.
Actor Roh Jae-won, known for his recent role as the sympathetic detective Dae-hong in MBC’s thriller “Doubt,” portrays Thanos’s friend Nam-gyu.
Roh describes Nam-gyu as “a guy who’s only strong around people weaker than him but falls apart before those who are stronger.”
![A still from the second season of ″Squid Game″ [NETFLIX]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/05/de1185ad-1455-442a-bfb9-7ec1c310cb9e.jpg)
Singer and actor Yim Si-wan portrays streamer Myung-gi. Myung-gi participates in the games after getting caught up in a cryptocurrency scam, which dealt him and his subscribers huge financial blows. Notably, the character Thanos was Myung-gi’s subscriber and lost his money after following his investing advice.
Rapper and actor Yang Dong-geun plays the role of Yong-sik, a heavily indebted gambler who joins the games with his mother, Geum-ja, portrayed by Kang Ae-shim.
![A still from the second season of ″Squid Game″ [NETFLIX]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/05/d1382cfe-9acc-46b4-b512-ae3c870247b5.jpg)
Kang Ha-neul portrays ex-marine Dae-ho who “pretends to be masculine to protect himself.”
Park Sung-hoon, known for the Netflix series “The Glory” (2022), portrays transgender woman Hyun-ju, who joins the games to win the prize money to get gender-affirming surgery.
Lee Jin-uk, Park Gyu-young and Chae Kook-hee each play warmhearted father Gyeong-suk, North Korean defector No-eul and shaman Seon-nyeo.
Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun and Wi Ha-jun will reprise their roles from the first season: Gi-hun, Front Man and Jun-ho, respectively.
![An official poster for the second season of ″Squid Game″ [NETFLIX]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/05/3180ed78-355c-4a83-9317-099d5276af3a.jpg)
The first season of the series gained significant global traction, ranking No. 1 in 94 countries and accumulating 1.65 billion viewing hours within the first month of its release. It also won several prestigious awards, including the Best Director Award at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The second season is slated to premiere on Dec. 26.
BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]
