Netflix
The chilling true story that inspired ‘Squid Game’
South Korea’s brutal past and economic struggles that inspired Netflix’s most disturbing series.
Netflix’s worldwide hit South Korean series Squid Game captivated millions when it premiered in 2021. Its shocking plot and the coldness with which the executions were carried out made the production a global phenomenon. Up to 456 players, all in desperate economic straits, participated in a series of traditional South Korean games, but with a twist: whoever lost the game would be killed. The success was such that last December, the streaming platform premiered its second season, a new edition of the fateful squid games.
What makes this series even more special are the stories that inspired the creator. Hwang Dong-hyuk may not be based on a specific case, but his stories reflect historical events that have shaped South Korean society. The Brothers Home tragedy and the country’s economic struggles in recent decades are just two examples.
The true story behind Squid Game
To know the true story that inspired Squid Game, we must go back to the 70s and 80s, when South Korea was under an authoritarian regime. It was a time of repression, when the authorities tried to “clean” the streets of homeless people and dissidents.
Then Brothers Home, a so-called welfare center in Busan (a city in southeastern South Korea), which actually functioned as a concentration camp, was established. Thousands of homeless, disabled and political opponents were interned in inhumane conditions and without identification. Just an identification number.
Hwang Dong-hyuk was also inspired by recent events such as the Ssangyong Motor strike in 2009, where thousands of laid-off workers faced violence and precariousness. Elements of Japanese popular culture also influenced the movie. Various stories such as Battle Royale, As the Gods Will, and Alice in Borderland, all of which have a strong critique of economic inequality, helped shape the South Korean creator.
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