When Squid Game, the thrilling and ultra-violent South Korean critique of capitalism, was released in 2021, it fast became a global sensation thanks to its gripping plot, stunning aesthetics, and heart-thumping action scenes. While the first season could have wrapped up as a standalone story, the final episode saw our protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) make a decision that pulled him right back into a horrifying world he’d just escaped. And, now, Netflix has confirmed they’ve completed casting for season two, as per THR.
If you want to find out more about the new cast members of Squid Game, then read ahead for our guide to all the actors who’ll be appearing in season two of the worldwide hit.
What is Squid Game?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Squid Game is a Korean drama show that became the most-watched show ever on Netflix. The premise is that 456 poor South Koreans are selected to take part in a series of children’s games for the opportunity to win KWK45.6 billion (roughly $35 million). The only catch is that if a contestant loses, they’re killed on the spot. The first season of the series followed Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict and deadbeat dad who lives with his mother in poverty. After a chance encounter, the indebted gambler is given the chance to head to a private island where he and 455 others battle it out for the cash prize. The title of the series comes from a real Korean children’s game named “Squid.” Show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said the show is directly inspired by the class disparity in South Korea, exacerbated by aggressive capitalism.
What are the names of the actors appearing in season two of Squid Game?
There are 12 newcomers to the cast of Squid Game season two. Four of them — Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, and Yim Si-wan — were announced earlier in June at a Tudum fan event run by Netflix, but the final eight were only revealed yesterday: Choi Seung-hyun, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-wook, Park Gyu-young, Roh Jae-won, and Won Ji-an. Their exact roles remain a mystery, but many of the faces might be familiar to Western audiences, as some of them have already starred in Korean series that have streamed on Netflix.
Kang Ha-neul
Ha-neul began his career about as far away from the brutality of Squid Game as possible, with roles in a number of Korean musicals. He soon moved on to television, before hitting the big screen in 2015 and gaining critical recognition for his role in the coming-of-age film Twenty. Over the next half a decade, he continued racking up nominations and awards, and most recently reprised his role as Woo Moo-chi in the Pirates franchise, while also appearing in the television prison drama Insider.
Park Sung-hoon
Park Sung-hoon is one of the more recognizable actors who’s joined the cast to Western audiences, thanks to his role in The Glory, the disturbingly dark Korean revenge drama that’s been one of Netflix’s biggest foreign-language hits in English-speaking countries. He’s been appearing on television since 2011, with numerous main roles in popular shows like Into the Ring and Justice. He’s won multiple KBS Drama Awards, and been nominated for plenty of other accolades.
Yang Dong-guen
A multi-talented artist, Don-guen is an actor, singer, rapper, producer, and dancer. He’s been in show business since he was a child, and has been winning awards for just as long. Some of his more prominent credits include Hyung (which netted him multiple Best Young Actor awards), Wildcard, and The Forbidden Marriage, which was released last year to critical acclaim in South Korea.
Yim Si-wan (Im Si-wan)
Known also as Siwan, this South Korean singer and actor rose to prominence as a member of the K-pop band ZE:A. As a member of the band, he achieved a top-ten album, but in recent years acting has been the main focus of his main career. Although most of his biggest and best performances have come on the big screen, he’s got plenty of television experience, too, and recently starred in the well-received Summer Strike. His work on The Attorney won him numerous awards in his native land.
Choi Seung-hyn
Another actor who began their career as a musician (stage name T.O.P.), Seung-hyn hit the big time as the lead rapper for the boy band Big Bang, who fast became a sensation across Asia, and was soon one of the highest-selling musical acts on the planet. He moved into acting in 2007 and hasn’t looked back, with his most famous and well-received performance coming in the war film 71: Into the Fire, for which he won multiple awards.
Jo Yu-ri
A former member of Iz*One, a Japanese-Korean group that had two number-one albums in Japan and three top-ten albums in South Korea, Yu-ri is used to the spotlight. Her recent solo album, Glassy, had a single that peaked at number five in Korea, so her music game is still going strong. She’s not got quite as many on-screen credits as the other actors who’ve joined the Squid Game cast, but seeing as she got her start on a reality television show (Iz*One was formed on the show Produce 48), she’s no stranger to screen time.
Kang Ae-sim
An actor with a long history of smaller, character-driven parts, Ae-sim isn’t the biggest name on this list, but there’s no doubt she’ll put in a smashing performance in season two of Squid Game. Eagle-eyed Netflix viewers may recognize her from Extraordinary Attorney Woo, where she appeared in an episode, as well as Move to Heaven, which also appeared on the streaming service. Other than that, she has an extensive filmography, albeit one made of performances that only last a few episode arcs.
Lee David
One of the youngest new cast members, Lee David has been appearing in film and television since before he was ten, so despite his green age, he’s still incredibly experienced. His breakout role was in the drama Poetry in 2010, where he played a rude grandson whose grandmother and primary caregiver develops dementia. That sparkling flick still has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know it’s one to remember. He’s been focusing more on television recently, appearing as Seo Ji-ho in the mystery drama series Law School.
Lee Jin-wook
Another South Korean star that will be recognizable to some Netflix viewers, Jin-wook has appeared in the streaming giant’s brilliant apocalyptic horror series Sweet Home. In his homeland, he’s best known for the series Glass Castle, Nine, and I Need Romance 2012, all of which were massive critical and commercial hits. Although his most famous work has been on the small screen, he’s also appeared in a number of films, most recently the feelgood ensemble comedy A Year End Medley.
Park Gyu-young
Another Sweet Home star, Gyu-young has been a working actor since being a teenager, and remains one of the country’s most popular faces. Her breakout role was in the television drama series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay in 2019, and in that same year, she joined the popular Netflix apocalypse show. She received a Best New Actress award at the KBS Drama Awards in 2021 for her role in the series Dali and the Cocky Prince, and has also appeared in several music videos.
Roh Jae-won
Possibly the least-known actor on this list, Jae-won is a relative newcomer to the South Korean entertainment scene, but received great reviews for his performance in the film Ditto, and has also appeared in the popular web series Once Upon a Small Town, where he played a police officer. This could very well be his breakout role in both his native land and from a global perspective.
Won Ji-an
Although she’s only been acting for a couple of years, Won Ji-an has made a splash with her performances in the charming series If You Wish Upon Me, which follows a young former prisoner who learns how to be a better person while volunteering at a hospice. In that show, she plays a character obsessed with the series protagonist, and is truly brilliant, despite limited screen time. Ji-an also had a part in the ensemble comedy A Year End Medley, alongside fellow new Squid Game castmate Lee Jin-wook, and her first-ever role was in the series D.P., which streamed on Netflix.