The long-awaited second season of the dystopian South Korean thriller Squid Game finally appeared on Netflix this week.
In season two, Player 456 returns to the game determined to save as many lives as possible while trying to unravel the secrets of the shadowy figures who created the game.
While lead actor Lee Jung-jae (who plays protagonist Seong Gi-hun in the series) is back, there are also a number of new characters for viewers to get to know.
In addition to esteemed South Korean actors such as Park Sung-hoon and Lee Byung-hun, season two of the hit series features a number of K-pop stars.
From a legendary rapper to a boy band star to a member of a girl group: the second part of Squid Game certainly has no shortage of musical talent.
Jo Yuri, who plays Player 222 Kim Jun-Hee, is already emerging as a breakout star this season.
The 23-year-old first rose to prominence on the reality TV competition series Idol School, in which dozens of K-pop trainees competed to become a new girl group.
She placed fifteenth on the show and missed the final lineup, but the following year she returned to compete in Produce 48 – another girl group competition series that featured trainees from both Korea and Japan.
The new season of Squid Game features multiple K-pop stars in acting roles, including Jo Yuri (pictured) who plays player 222 Kim Jun-Hee
This time, Yuri managed to take third place, securing a coveted spot in the IZ*ONE group.
The Korean-Japanese group became an overnight sensation, selling millions of records in Asia until they disbanded in 2021, when their three-year recording contract expired.
Yuri subsequently launched a solo music career, releasing the singles Glassy, Loveable and Taxi.
Squid Game marks Yuri’s first major acting role following her successful music career.
In the series, she portrays the troubled Kim Jun-hee, who was forced into the game after trusting the wrong person.
While discussing how she landed the coveted role in Netflix’s record-breaking series, Yuri shared Teen fashion that the audition process was not easy.
“So it was actually a very long audition process. I had to talk to the director a lot [Hwang Donghyuk] before I was officially cast,” she explained.
“I think the whole audition process took about four or three months in total,” she added.
Yuri was a member of the best-selling girl group IZ*ONE, which sold millions of records in Japan and Korea during their three-year career
The 23-year-old launched a solo music career after her time with IZ*ONE came to an end
Also lighting up the small screen is Im Siwan, who plays Player 333, Myung-gi.
Siwan, 36, got his start in the K-pop industry as a member of boy band ZE:A, which debuted in 2010 with the single Mazeltov.
The group released several singles and albums, but never managed to become a big hit in the crowded and highly competitive K-pop scene.
Siwan made his acting debut in 2012 with a supporting role in the Korean drama Moon Embracing the Sun, which eventually became a box office hit across Asia.
The series’ success led to him landing bigger roles in a number of K-dramas and feature films, and his individual fame soon surpassed his group’s popularity.
Also lighting up the small screen is Im Siwan, who plays Player 333, Myung-gi
Siwan, 36, got his start in the K-pop industry as a member of boy band ZE:A, which debuted in 2010 with the single Mazeltov
In Squid Game, Siwan’s character is a cryptocurrency influencer who makes a series of disastrous decisions that leave him no choice but to join the deadly game to save himself from financial ruin.
The biggest K-pop star to grace Squid Game this season is rapper Choi Seung-hyun, better known by his stage name TOP
As a member of BIGBANG, South Korea’s most successful boy band of all time, TOP is considered K-pop royalty.
He plays retired rapper Thanos in the series, who leads a cabal of Squid Game’s youngest players.
TOP has had a successful acting career for more than ten years, most notably in the successful action series Iris and the Korean War film 71: Into the Fire.
The biggest K-pop star to grace Squid Game this season is rapper Choi Seung-hyun, better known by his stage name TOP
As a member of BIGBANG, South Korea’s most successful boy band of all time, TOP is considered K-pop royalty
Unfortunately, the group’s legacy has since been tarnished due to member Seungri’s involvement with the Burning Sun rape scandal.
Squid Game’s first outing of 2021 quickly became Netflix’s biggest show ever, racking up a whopping 1.65 billion hours watched.
It followed the story. Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), along with other down-on-luck people, faced a series of deadly children’s games, killing many along the way, in an attempt to win millions.
Season two sees Seong return to battle again, but some critics claim the show has now “lost its edge,” while others felt it was “utterly captivating.”