Season 3 of the hit Korean drama "Squid Game" will be available on Netflix from June 27th. The series is a survival thriller in which people who are on the verge of giving up on life due to huge debts or serious troubles are drawn into a "child's game" where losing means instant death, with a huge prize that can "turn your life around" for the chance to win. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk said about the final chapter, Season 3, "The show will shed light on whether there is still hope for us, and whether we have the will to protect that hope and reflect it in the world."
◇ In Season 2, he rebelled against the management but lost his best friend
"Squid Game" is a popular Korean drama series whose first season was released in 2021 and second season in 2024. Season 2 topped Netflix's weekly global TOP 10 (non-English series) for five consecutive weeks.
Three years have passed since Song Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae), a timid man whose life was on the verge of being over, won the game. In season 2, Ki-hoon returns once again, determined to put an end to the game after approaching the mysterious game manager, the front man (Lee Byung-hun). As the game progresses, players die one after another in horrific ways, and Ki-hoon rises up in rebellion against the game managers, only to see his dear friend lose his life right before his eyes. The story and character settings, which reflect not only the outcome of the game but also real social issues, have resonated with many viewers.
◇ "If you can find hope, there is still a chance"
Regarding the theme of Season 3, Director Donghyuk said, "I wanted to delve deeper into the fundamental questions we face. In mythology, it is said that when Pandora's box was opened and all the disasters came out, the only thing left was hope. Season 3 will shed light on whether we still have hope, and whether we have the will to protect that hope and reflect it in the world."
The series will focus on Gi-hoon, who is driven to the brink after losing his best friend after his plan for revenge against the gamers failed in Season 2, as well as the other players who take on the game once again, and whether they can find hope even in the face of desperate situations.
Director Donghyuk explained why he chose this theme, saying, "In today's world, sad news stands out more than happy news, and I feel more despair than hope. Looking at this reality, I began to ask questions such as, 'Is humanity progressing? Is our world getting better? Are the people living in this world truly developing and evolving?' This led me to want to explore, 'What can we do to protect the values that we have always cherished? Does such a thing as 'humanity' really exist, and does it have the power to improve the world and ourselves?'"
The director had these questions in mind while writing the script and during filming, and he continued to ask himself many times. "The final answer I arrived at is that no matter how dark and hopeless the world seems, if we can find even a little hope within ourselves, we still have a chance," the director said. As he said, will the players be able to keep themselves together and survive in the "worst" and cruel game in history?
◇One of the games for the new season is "skipping rope"
In season 1, the show highlighted issues such as Korea's extremely competitive society and poverty through the portrayal of former elites, defectors, and foreign workers who have fallen into disrepair after failing in investments. In season 2, the show introduced characters such as young players Juni (Jo Yuri) and Myunggi (Im Siwan), who are left with huge debts due to the failure of virtual currency and stocks, and Hyunju (Park Sung-hoon), who represents gender minorities who are often considered isolated in society. The voting scene to decide whether to continue the game, which is said to represent conflicts between countries and races, also drew attention for reflecting the current social situation.
The "worst ever" cruel game stands before the players who survived through many difficulties. One of the games in Season 3 has been revealed to be "Jump Rope," in which the Yonghee doll reappears and knocks the player to hell. What about the other games? Will the story end in despair or hope? The release of Series 3, the final chapter, is just around the corner. I look forward to it.
Seasons 1 and 2 of the Netflix series "Squid Game" are currently streaming, with season 3 set to begin streaming on June 27th.
