The second season of the Netflix series “Squid Game” is creating waves ahead of its premiere, to be released three years after the first season captivated audiences globally.
On 5 December, Netflix released a "Meet the Cast" video on social media channels, revealing both original characters and new faces. The video featured cast introductions and glimpses of their characters.
Among the introductions, Park Sung Hoon's role as Hyun Ju stood out. Hyun Ju, also known as Player 120, is depicted as a transgender woman who formerly served on the special forces. She enters the survival game to escape financial struggles and fund her gender-affirming surgery.
This role of Park Sung Hoon has intrigued many, to put it lightly, with many netizens sharing their opinions online. The contrasting points have created room for pretty deep discourse on media representation and how a country's culture influences who gets to play which roles.
Cultural differences between East and West were evident when South Korean netizens commended Netflix for featuring trans representation, while some individuals from North America or Europe criticized the choice of casting Park Sung Hoon, a cisgender actor, in a transgender role.
Some netizens argue this choice missed an opportunity to cast a transgender actress, which could have added authenticity and visibility to the role.
Meanwhile, South Korean netizens defended the casting, emphasizing that the transgender community in South Korea is repressed and underrepresented, and that Park Sung Hoon portraying the character is one of the very few ways to support queer activism in a conservative country like South Korea. One netizen even shared that South Korea has only one publicly known trans celebrity who is not an actor.