Squid Game 2 Director Criticised For Casting Actor Park Sung Hoon In Transgender Role

The highly-anticipated second season of Korean thriller Squid Game has been mired in several controversies even before the series hits Netflix on Dec 26.

One of them is over the casting of The Glory star Park Sung Hoon as a transgender woman named Hyun Ju aka Player 120.

She is one of many cash-strapped individuals taking part in the deadly games to win a massive cash prize.

According to Sung Hoon, Hyun Ju is a former special forces soldier who joins the games to fund her gender-affirming surgery.

The inclusion of a transgender character in a K-drama is a big deal for the relatively conservative country where LGBT groups continue to experience discrimination. Director Hwang Dong Hyuk wanted to shed light on the minority group.

While he had good intentions, many were upset the series did not cast an actual transgender actor instead.

“This is not how you give representation... a cis man pretending to be part of a minority group just doesn’t sit right with me, especially when they could’ve hired an actual trans actress,” a netizen wrote on X.

There were also concerns that Sung Hoon might face backlash for taking on the role.

In October, conservative organisations called for the ban on BL drama Love in the Big City, accusing the show of "glorifying and promoting homosexuality”.

While trailers for the drama were taken down and promotions halted in a bid to quell protests, the series aired as planned.