Squid Game season 2: in which Korean dramas to see these actors and actresses?

After becoming Netflix’s most-watched series, Squid Game is back for season 2 (while waiting for season 3 soon). This marks the return of old characters, but also introduces new ones. The famous series belongs to a very specific genre: k-dramas, or Korean dramas. Here are the series in which we can find a good part of the actors and actresses of this season 2, in works that are sometimes very, very far from Squid Game.

Park Gyu-young (No-eul)

No-eul constitutes one of the major additions of this season 2: for the first time, a masked soldier has a story and a personality. The acting of the actress has nothing to do with the importance of the character. This is not the first time that Park Gyu-young has upset us.

K-drama fans knew him in It’s Okay Not To Be Okayone of the gems of the genre — a sort of gothic tale about resilience after traumatic childhoods. She plays a supporting role, but an important one. Then, she became the heroine of her own series, Celebrity. She also plays a recurring role in the horror series Sweet Home. She also makes appearances in two k-dramas: Fight for my Way (on friendship, sport and resilience) and Romance is a bonus book (in the publishing world). All these series are on Netflix.

Park Sung-hoon (joueuse 120, Hyun-ju)

The creator of Squid Game wanted to integrate a transgender woman character into the story of season 2. A small revolution in very conservative Korea, where the LGBTQIA+ condition is complicated: marriage between people of the same gender is not even recognized yet. In this context, and according to his own words, he then decided to cast an actor to play this role: Park Sung-hoon.

He had shone as an antagonist in The Gloryone of Netflix’s biggest hits in 2023. He also appears in The Queen of TearsKorean series with many records in 2024, also on Netflix.

Lee Byung-hun (Front Man/game master)

Lee Byung-hun, who plays the mysterious Game Master, who became player 001 in this season 2, was previously known for having starred in a very successful Korean historical series: Mr. Sunshine (Netflix). Between romance and politics, this drama begins in 1871, in Korea’s Joseon period.

Gong Yoo (the recruiter)

Gong Yoo left his mark on fans Squid Game in the first episodes of season 2 by the totally neurotic violence of his character. He is an already well-known actor, as he stars in one of the most beloved k-dramas: Goblin (or The Lonely and Great God), which is in the fantasy genre, found on Viki. Recently, in 2024, he plays the main role in the Netflix series The Trunk (For Single Luggage), a mystery series about marriages lasting only one year and a strange briefcase.

Yim Si-wan (player 333, Myung-gi)

Before being the fallen crypto expert in Squid Game season 2, Yim Si-wan was mainly Dae-beom in Summer Strike. A role that is absolutely counter to the use of Squid Gamesince he plays a man who is so introverted and kind that he almost never speaks. Summer Strike (Netflix) is the gentle and restorative series par excellence. Same in Run On (Netflix), another calm and romantic drama where he plays the main role. Suffice to say that seeing him fight in Squid Game was quite surprising!

Wi Ha-joon (Detective Hwang Jun-ho)

Will Jun-ho one day manage to get his hands on his brother, the Game Master, and stop this massacre? Answer in season 3, probably. The actor, Wi Ha-joon, for his part, was present in Little Women (Netflix), the Korean, urban, police and very “free” adaptation of Four Daughters of Doctor March by Louisa May Alcott. It also plays a role in The Creature of Kyŏngsŏng.

Won Ji-an (Se-mi, player 380)

Despite a relatively small role, Won Ji-an stood out in season 2 of Squid Game. But bad news if you want to see her again: she hasn’t appeared in many series yet. She plays the main role in HeartBeat on Prime Video, a romance between a vampire and a human.

And Jo Yuri then?

One of the most noticed actresses in this season 2 of Squid Game is none other than Jo Yuri, player 222 (Jun-hee). But this is quite simply her first role as an actress! She became known as a member of the Japanese-Korean group Iz*One.