Would you risk your life playing kids' games if it meant winning a literal fortune? The thriller Korean drama Squid Game premiered on Netflix in September 2021, captivating audiences with its depiction of a brutal competition for 456 billion Korean won (about $38 million). Since its premiere, the dystopian social satire has become the streamer's most-watched show of all time, with the entire world following its cast of all-star Korean actors as they form alliances and enemies through deadly versions of Red Light, Green Light, and other children's games.
As the series is centered on a death game, most of Squid Game's season 1 cast did not make it out of the nine-episode run alive. Thankfully, the actors went on to have successful careers in both South Korea and Hollywood. Before season 2 arrives on December 26, 2024, here's everything we know about the characters and actors of Squid Game season 1.
Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (456)
A man down on his luck, Gi-hun is a gambling addict who works as a chauffeur and lives with his elderly mother. He entered the game hoping to make enough money to keep his 10-year-old daughter from moving to America with her mom and stepdad.
Lee Jung-jae, 52, is best known in Korea for appearing in the films Il Mare (2000), which was later remade into The Lake House with Keanu Reeves, and The Face Reader (2013). His portrayal of Gi-hun won him the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2022. He recently played Master Sol in the short-lived Star Wars show The Acolyte.
Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (218)
Sang-woo, Gi-hun's childhood friend, is a neighborhood legend for attending South Korea's top university. The investment banker later stole money from his clients and lost it in the stock market, and he needs to win the game to avoid arrest and keep his mother's house and business.
Park Hae-soo, 43, was best known for leading one of the most popular K-dramas ever, Prison Playbook (2017), before signing on to Squid Game. He's gone on to star in several other Netflix K-dramas, including Narco-Saints and Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area.
Hoyeon as Kang Sae-byeok (067)
Sae-byeok is a North Korean defector who works as a pickpocket while her younger brother lives in an orphanage. She needs enough money to get her mother out of the North and to be able to afford a house for her family.
Squid Game was Hoyeon's first on-screen role, which earned her a SAG Award for Best Female Actor in a Drama Series. The 30-year-old model-turned-actress previously appeared on season 4 of Korea’s Next Top Model and has walked runways for fashion houses including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Roberto Cavalli. She recently had a supporting role in the Apple TV+ drama Disclaimer.
Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho
Cop Jun-ho finds a game card while searching his missing brother's apartment. He then sneaks into the game as a guard to take down the operation and find his brother.
Wi Ha-jun, 33, is a film and K-drama actor, whose pre-Squid Game roles included the romantic drama Something in the Rain and the serial-killer thriller Midnight. He's been booked and busy since season 1, starring in the shows Bad and Crazy, Little Women, The Worst of Evil, and Gyeongseong Creature. Earlier this year, he had his first male lead role in the romance K-drama The Midnight Romance in Hagwon.
Oh Young-soo as Oh Il-nam (001)
Il-nam, the oldest contestant in the game, befriends Gi-hun early on. Doctors have diagnosed a tumor in his brain, and he's playing to provide for his family. Oh, 76, has mostly played monk roles in his acting career, including the films A Little Monk (2003) and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003).
Heo Sung-tae as Jang Deok-su (101)
Gangster Deok-su joined the game to pay off gambling debts after pissing off his crime boss. He's the closest the show has to a player-antagonist and has a history with Sae-byeok.
Heo Sung-tae, 47, started his adult life as a corporate worker, after getting a university degree in Russian language and culture. When he was 34, he drunkenly applied for a Korean reality show called Miracle Audition and decided to make a career change. In the years since, he has appeared in over 60 films and K-dramas, including main roles in Hunt, Decoy, Big Bet, and Crash.
Kim Joo-ryung as Han Mi-nyeo (212)
Mi-nyeo is a mysterious player who will do or say anything to win the game, including seduction and begging. We never really learn why she's playing, though she claims to be a new mother.
Kim Joo-ryoung, 48, has had supporting roles in several successful dramas and films, including SKY Castle, Mr. Sunshine, Revenge of Others, and Queen of Tears. She also worked with Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk before, on his film Silenced (2011).
Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul (199)
Kind-hearted Ali came to Korea from Pakistan to work, with his wife and baby son in tow. Scammed by his employers, he plans to support his family with the prize money and send some to his parents and brother back home.
Indian actor Anupam Tripathi, 35, was born in New Dehli and moved to Seoul in 2010, to study at Korea National University of Arts. Prior to Squid Game, he only had minor roles in shows and films like Hospital Playlist and the Korean Netflix movie Space Sweepers (2021). He has now also appeared in the dramas Narco-Saints and King the Land.
Lee You-mi as Ji-yeong (240)
Mysterious Ji-yeong becomes Sae-byeok's ally when they team up for the tug-of-war round. She's mostly quiet, though quick to stand up to other players' hypocrisy.
Lee You-mi, 30, won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her standout role in Squid Game season 1. Since then, she has starred in K-dramas including All of Us Are Dead, Mental Coach Jegal, Strong Girl Namsoon, and Mr. Plankton.
Yu Seong-ju as the doctor, Byeong-ki (111)
The doctor, who goes unnamed during the series, has an inside source who tells him the game rounds ahead of time. He uses the advantage to team up with Deok-su and his gang for protection.
Yu Seong-ju got his first prominent role on SKY Castle in 2018 and has since starred in several dramas. He even worked with Lee Jung-jae before Squid Game, on the political series Chief of Staff. He currently has a supporting role in the Korean melodrama When the Phone Rings.
Lee Byung-hun as The Front Man
Lee Byung-hun, 54, plays the masked Front Man, who runs the game's day-to-day operations. He watches from above in an ultra-lux apartment and maintains contact with the higher-ups in the twisted operation.
Lee has been one of Korea's most successful actors for decades, appearing in seven of the 50 top-grossing Korean films of all time. He's also appeared in American films, including the G.I. Joe franchise and Terminator Genisys, and he was the first South Korean to present at the Academy Awards.
Gong Yoo as The Recruiter
Gong Yoo, 45, makes a cameo as The Recruiter, the man who recruits Gi-hun into the games with a game of ddakji on the subway. The Hallyu star has appeared in some of the most internationally known Korean media. He starred in the hit film Train to Busan (2016) as a father and businessman trying to escape the zombie apocalypse on a bullet train. He also played the titular immortal goblin in Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016), one of the most successful K-dramas ever. As for how he ended up on Squid Game, he starred in Hwang Dong-hyuk's film Silenced in 2011.
