(Clockwise from top left) Choi Seung-hyun, Won Ji-an, Kang Ae-sim, Lee Da-wit, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, Park Gyu-young and Lee Jin-uk. Photo: Handout
Netflix Korea on Thursday revealed the additional cast members joining the second season of South Korean phenomenon Squid Game.
Actors Park Gyu-young, Kang Ae-sim, Jo Yu-ri, formerly of disbanded IZ*ONE, Choi Seung-hyun -- also known as Big Bang member T.O.P. -- are among eight more to be confirmed for the cast of Squid Game 2.
Though the cast may seem unfamiliar to some viewers, many of them have made a name for themselves in other Netflix Korean originals.
Park, 29, caught both local and global drama fans’ attention with her performance in Netflix’s webtoon-based, horror series Sweet Home (2020), the first Korean series to enter the Netflix Top 10 chart in the US, reaching third place.
Others include musical actor Kang, who made her first TV appearance in JTBC’s hit rom-com Be Melodramatic (2019) and her Netflix debut with Move To Heaven (2021), will join the original cast in the upcoming season.
Jo and Choi are beloved K-pop artistes who expanded their careers with various films and TV dramas.
Seasoned actor Lee Jin-uk, 41, the lead star in multiple seasons of the Voice franchise, will team up with director Hwang Dong-hyuk again after the 2014 comedy movie “Miss Granny.”
Hwang, whom many credited for discovering Jung Ho-yeon, a rookie actor who rose to instant stardom with Squid Game, also looked to new talent to round up the cast. Some of the new faces include young stars like Lee Da-wit, Roh Jae-won and Won Ji-an.
Netflix Korea said that the first script-reading session with the cast was held June 23.
Shooting for the second season is scheduled to begin in the second half of the year, according to the global streamer.
Hwang’s bloody survival show is considered Netflix’s biggest series, reaching over 111 million fans and being the most watched show on Netflix with 1.6 billion hours. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
