Squid Game Season 2 Cast Guide: Meet the New and Returning Players
It’s back. The wildly popular — and lethal — competition that puts 456 desperate contestants through a series of children’s games with a massive cash prize at stake (and deadly consequences for the losers) returns in Squid Game Season 2, premiering Dec. 26. While we already knew some familiar faces from Season 1 would be staging a comeback in the Squid Game Season 2 cast, new episodes will also welcome colorful new characters into the arena.
In Season 2 of the award-winning drama, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), the series’ main character, remains determined to find the people behind Squid Game and put an end to their bloodthirsty sport. So, Gi-hun — also known as Player 456 — taps into the fortune he won in Season 1 for justice. He leads a citywide search for the Recruiter (Gong Yoo), the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when Gi-hun’s efforts finally yield results, the path towards dismantling the organization proves to be even deadlier than he imagined. To end the game, he needs to re-enter it.
Gi-hun’s dangerous journey will put him against foes new and old — while also introducing him to potential allies. As you prepare to get back into the game, here is your full guide to the heroes and villains — and everyone in between — in the Squid Game Season 2 cast.
Lee Jung-jae
When we first meet Gi-hun in Season 1, he is a struggling divorced gambler who enters Squid Game to secure enough money to maintain his relationship with his estranged young daughter (Jo Ah-in). Gi-hun manages to win the competition — but at what cost?
In Season 2, he’s intent on taking Squid Game down by any means necessary. “Even though he doesn’t have power or a clear strategy to solve the problem, one thing he knows for sure is that this must never happen again,” Lee tells Netflix. “That mindset played the biggest role in his motivations this season. He has a strong sense of purpose that he has to change it all.”
Lee won a Critics Choice Award for his work in Squid Game Season 1. He was nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award (and won ensemble SAG gold with his co-stars in 2022).
Lee Byung-hun
The enigmatic Front Man is the puppetmaster behind the scenes of Squid Game — as well as a former winner. In Season 2, we’ll learn what lengths the Front Man is willing to go to in order to protect the competition. Lee and Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk worked together to develop the Front Man’s backstory, which will be revealed in Season 2.
“I got to portray these complex, intertwined emotions [in Season 2],” Lee told Netflix. “It was challenging, but it was the complexity of emotions that attracted me to the character as an actor in the first place.”
Lee previously worked with director Hwang in 2017’s The Fortress. Over the course of his decades-long acting career, he’s starred in projects including Mr. Sunshine and Iris.
Wi Ha-jun
Much like Gi-hun, detective Jun-ho is focused on ending Squid Game forever. Certain revelations from Season 1 — like his unexpected connection to the Front Man — only increase his determination.
“He now knows the truth [about Squid Game], but he can’t get any support from his captain and continues to struggle alone because he has no evidence,” Wi told Netflix. Still, Jun-ho can’t be broken. “He remains unshaken, and in portraying him, I focused on his unwavering gaze.”
Wi has appeared in multiple series, including Gyeongseong Creature, Little Women, and Romance Is a Bonus Book.
Yim Si-wan
Myung-gi is used to playing around with huge sums of cash. He’s a cryptocurrency influencer whose decisions led to disaster for himself and his followers. Squid Game is his only way out of a dangerous financial hole.
Yim is a former K-pop star. He comes to Squid Game fresh off of projects including feature film Unlocked and Run On.
Kang Ha-neul
Dae-ho is another new Squid Game competitor. He may prove to be an ally for Gi-hun against the looming dangers ahead.
Kang’s most recent Netflix film is The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure. He also starred in When the Camellia Blooms.
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Lee Jin-uk
as Gyeong-seok (Player 246)About the CharacterGyeong-seok is a loving and loyal father who enters the game ready to do anything to protect his family.
Gyeong-seok is a loving and loyal father who enters the game ready to do anything to protect his family.
Park Sung-hoon
as Hyun-ju (Player 120)About the CharacterThis new player will risk anything for an essential medical treatment.
Previously InYou may have recently spotted Park in Queen of Tears and The Glory.
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This new player will risk anything for an essential medical treatment.
You may have recently spotted Park in Queen of Tears and The Glory.
Yang Dong-geun
Yong-sik is a compulsive gambler drowning in debt. When he enters Squid Game, he discovers that an unexpected loved one is also participating.
Not only has Yang appeared in projects like Yaksha: Rutheless Operations — he is also a hip-hop artist and breakdancer.
Kang Ae-sim
This headstrong woman joins Squid Game to help a relative in dire need.
Kang has appeared in Korean TV shows for decades, including the Extraordinary Attorney Woo series premiere.
Lee Seo-hwan
Jung-bae might be a fresh face in the Squid Game arena, but he’s not new to the series. He’s a longtime friend of Gi-hun and a former co-worker. The last time viewers glimpsed Jung-bae, he was gambling alongside Gi-hun at the horse race track. In Season 2, he’ll get into the game himself.
Rewatch Squid Game Season 1 to reaquaint yourself with Jung-bae’s charms.
Jo Yuri
Like many Squid Game players, Jun-hee enters the competition after a bad investment. Unlike many, however, she isn’t the one to blame for her own hardships. June-hee simply trusted the wrong person.
Jo comes to Squid Game from a successful pop career. She is a former member of girl group Iz*One. Squid Game is her drama debut.
Gong Yoo
Although the Recruiter appears in only a single episode of Squid Game Season 1, his presence is unforgettable. The ddakji expert will return for Season 2 — with an even deeper storyline.
“I was both happy and nervous to know that Recruiter has more scenes, since the first season received much love globally,” Yoo told Netflix. “I felt pressured to meet the fans’ expectations for the character but tried my best.”
