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Asia Pacific|For South Koreans,‘Squid Game’ Was More Than Just Entertainment
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/world/asia/south-korean-squid-game-entertainment.html
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The Netflix hit has left a lasting legacy as a major cultural export, but also one that exposed some unsettling aspects of Korean society.
June 29, 2025, 4:53 a.m. ET
Contains spoilers for Season 3 of “Squid Game.”
On Friday, fans around the world tuned in for the third and last season of the juggernaut Netflix series “Squid Game.”
Since 2021, they’ve watched as hundreds of contestants played deadly versions of children’s games in an attempt to win a cash prize of 45.6 billion won, around $33 million.
At the grisly end of Season 3’s six episodes, its beloved protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), was dead, and its villains were very much alive and thriving.
For some viewers in South Korea, where the show is set, that fell short of delivering the justice they were hoping for.
After eagerly waiting half a year since the cliffhanger ending of Season 2, Kim Young Eun, a 24-year-old university student in Seoul, watched the entire season with her boyfriend at a comic book cafe, just hours after its release on Friday night.
She was disappointed that most of her favorite characters died, while the show’s bullies — including the ultra-wealth V.I.P.s who fund the games — survived. “It felt like the director was delivering a message that good people finish last,” Ms. Kim said.
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