Familiar faces, new stars come together in ‘Squid Game’ season 2 premiere

(From left) Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, and Im Si-wan during the premiere event of “Squid Game 2” in Seoul, South Korea. Images: Courtesy of Netflix Korea

Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun, along with writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk, led the returning and newly added stars at the premiere event of “Squid Game” season 2 in Seoul, South Korea.

Trading the show’s’ signature green tracksuits and guard-like costumes, the dystopian series’ stars graced the premiere event at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Monday, December 9, where they were greeted by local and international media and fans.

Aside from Jung-jae and Byung-hun, also returning to “Squid Game” season 2 is Wi Ha-jun, whose character’s fate remains unknown after he was presumed to be killed by his brother and lead villain called the Front Man, Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun).

Also gracing the event were its new set of stars such as Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Lee Jin-wook, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim, Lee Seo-hwan, Lee David, and Chae Kook-hee.

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Meanwhile, “Squid Game” season 1 stars Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Anupam Tripathi, and Lee Ji-ha also made their appearance to show support for the series’ second season.

Set three years after the events of season one, “Squid Game” season two revolves around Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the games determined to stop them, once and for all. He, however, finds himself in a tailspin after the players are focused on finding luck in the mysterious survival games.

Tumultuous times

For Hwang, he arrived at the series’ promotional events with a “heavy heart” due to the rising political turmoil in South Korea, due to ongoing calls to impeach its President Yoon Suk-yeol.

“There is political turmoil in Korea, and I am here with a heavy heart,” he said in the show’s press conference, per a report from The Hollywood Reporter. He also noted that it is “destiny” for the series to be released at the time, noting its “political commentary” and response to the ongoing conflicts around the globe.

“We have to take to the streets… Whether it’s by impeachment or stepping down himself, the person responsible for declaring martial law has to take responsibility. I hope that we can return to a state of stability and that the Korean people can enjoy a festive holiday season as the year comes to an end — the people deserve to have that returned to them,” Hwang further added.