Squid Game Season 2 Might Get Banned: Lackluster Sequel Has Angered an Entire Nation for Glorifying a War That US Lost

The highly awaited second season of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller series Squid Game premiered on December 26, 2024, on Netflix. As expected, the second season recorded the highest premiere viewership for Netflix, surpassing Wednesday. The reviews for the recently released season have also been great, except for the last episode’s cliffhanger, which, according to the creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, is an apt end for season two.

The second and third seasons of Squid Game were filmed back-to-back, with the third season being the final season of the dystopian thriller series. Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun, after winning the prize in the first season, returns to the deadly game as Player 456 but with an agenda. Recent reports have suggested that despite being declared a successful season, Squid Game 2 faces backlash over alleged historical inaccuracies.

Squid Game Season 2 faces backlash in Vietnam

According to reports by The Korea Times, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Squid Game 2, starring Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Haa-joon, and more, is now facing backlash in Vietnam. The reason was the use of dialogue in the show that referenced the Vietnam War, and now, according to the publication, the dialogue has sparked criticism for allegedly distorting the history.

They mentioned that the Vietnamese authorities are now closely monitoring the situation before any announcement is shared. The publication noted that Vietnamese state media is now reviewing if the second season of Squid Game violates any of Vietnam’s film laws. The department shared a statement;

If it is concluded that the series violates regulations, we will handle the matter by the law.

The dialogue exchange that has sparked the controversy is used between Player No. 388 and other players when he goes on to describe his family’s military history. He tells the other players, ‘My father wanted me to become a real man, so he sent me to the Marines. My father was a Vietnam War veteran.’ Other contestants chimed in to say that his father must be an honorable man.

Now, this angered the Vietnamese viewers because, according to them, this dialogue comes off as glorifying South Korean soldiers who had served in the Vietnam War. The backlash and online criticism havey have also suggested to the streaming channel to remove the controversial part from the show for better cultural sensitivity.

Now escalated to viewers demanding to boycott Squid Game 2. They have also suggested to the streaming channel to remove the controversial part from the show for better cultural sensitivity.

South Korea at the time [1964–1973], ruled by a military leader, sent 320,000 troops to fight alongside in Vietnam. The South Korean soldiers were accused of killing Vietnamese civilians. According to Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, more than 9000 victims and 80 massacres of civilians took place in Vietnam at the hands of South Korean soldiers.

The incident shocked South Korean society when it emerged in the late 1990s, and it was hard to believe that the country that had been persecuted by Japan could commit such a brutal massacre in a foreign country. Viewers in the commented,

It’s wrong to portray Korean veterans of the Vietnam War as honorable figures.

The Vietnamese viewers mentioned that Squid Game whitewashes the atrocities committed by South Korean soldiers during the war. They also pointed out the double standards of South Korean citizens by mentioning that the country demands an apology from Japan for colonial rule and is now boasting about its military involvement in Vietnam.

Squid Game 2’s star Lee Byung-hun talks about his character, Front Man

Actor Lee Byung-hun plays Front Man on the show and also appears as Player 001 in the second season to stop Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun’s plan to destroy the game. However, in the final moments, he returned to his persona, unmasking himself in front of Gi-hun and killing his best friend Jung-bae in front of his eyes.

The actor spoke to Netflix’s Tudum about the emotional turmoil of Front Man. He said,

There is a very small part of Front Man that is rooting for Gi-hun along the way because his biggest goal is to let Gi-hun know that he is wrong. He wanted to choose the most extreme way possible to make his point.

Byung-hun mentioned that Jung-bae’s murder in front of Gi-hun is the climax of Season 2. The actor also added that despite having a bond with Gi-hun, Player 001 chose to go back to being Front Man. It was also known that he was the winner of the 2015 edition of the game whose pregnant wife died due to her liver condition, which led to him losing faith in humanity.

He also noted that even though his character went back to the game to sabotage Gi-hun’s plan, on some level subconsciously he looks at Gi-hun, who refuses to let go of the home, and reminds Front Man of In-ho, of himself.

The actor shared with the publication that at the premiere of the series, it started to sink in for him that the entire world has been waiting for it, which he described as ‘truly amazing and phenomenal.’

Squid Game seasons 1 & 2 are streaming on Netflix.