SEOUL – Netflix’s global sensation Squid Game draws chilling parallels to real-life events, with its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, revealing that the show’s protagonist, Gi-hun, was inspired by the violent Ssangyong factory strikes in South Korea in 2009.
Released in December 2024, the show’s second season continues to depict a dystopian world where desperate participants compete in deadly childhood games for a massive cash prize. But the grim premise echoes true events that saw ordinary workers forced to fight for survival amidst economic despair.
In 2009, Ssangyong, a struggling automaker under new ownership by a consortium of banks and investors, announced plans to lay off more than 2,600 workers, roughly 40% of its workforce. The decision sparked a 77-day factory occupation and strike marked by escalating tensions and violence.
Clashes ensued as striking workers, armed with slingshots and steel pipes, faced off against riot police equipped with tasers and rubber bullets. The brutal confrontation led to numerous injuries and arrests.
“I wanted to show that any ordinary middle-class person in today’s world could find themselves at rock bottom overnight,” Mr. Hwang said, explaining how the harrowing strike influenced his storytelling.
While Squid Game remains a fictional tale, its reflection of real-world struggles and economic inequalities has struck a chord with audiences worldwide, turning it into one of Netflix’s most successful series.