Meet the 'Squid Game' Season 2 Cast: Who Plays Who in the Netflix K-Drama

After three years of waiting, it's time to return to the world of Squid Game. One of Netflix's most-watched shows of all time, the Korean drama is a deadly, dystopian thriller following desperate people who risk their lives for the chance at financial fortune. Since it premiered in September 2021, season 1's cast has risen to superstardom, leaving millions of fans wondering who will be part of the show's next batch of players.

For season 2, arriving on Netflix on December 26, 2024, director Hwang Dong-hyuk increased the show's ensemble cast, giving viewers more complicated characters to root for...until their bloody demises. The talented new cast includes Hallyu superstars, regular Netflix actors, and some of K-pop's biggest names. Read on to learn about the cast of Squid Game season 2. (If you need a refresher on how Squid Game season 1 ended, we've got a breakdown for you.)

Squid Game: Season 2 | Meet the Cast | Netflix - YouTube

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Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (456)

At the end of season 1, Gi-hun walks away from the flight determined to bring an end to the game no matter what it takes. When he finds himself wearing the 456 tracksuit again, he has to go through the terrifying ordeal for the second time.

Lee Jung-jae, 52, earned several awards for his performance in Squid Game season 1, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama, and the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He went on to star alongside Amandla Stenberg and Manny Jacinto in the short-lived Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte.

Lee Byung-hun as The Front Man

After his dramatic reveal in season 1, the Front Man (real name Hwang In-ho) will have a much larger role in season 2. Per the "Meet the Cast" featurette video that Netflix shared, In-ho is the "complete opposite" of Gi-hun, as the mastermind behind the competition believes that "there's no benevolence left in people."

Lee Byung-hyun, 54, is one of South Korea's most successful and well-known actors. He's even appeared in seven of the 100 highest-grossing Korean movies of all time. Some of his best-known films include Joint Security Area; The Good, the Bad, the Weird; I Saw the Devil; Masquerade; Inside Men; and Concrete Utopia. He previously worked with director Hwang on the historical Korean movie The Fortress.

Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho

After infiltrating the game in season 1, Jun-ho survived his deadly fall. By the events of season 2, he's back to his job as a police officer. Per the featurette, Jun-ho's mind is still on his brother In-ho (a.k.a. the Front Man). "Because he loved and looked up to his brother so much, he just can't let go."

Wi Ha-jun, 33, made his acting debut in 2015 and has since starred in over a dozen K-dramas. In addition to Squid Game, he's best known for appearing in the shows Something in the Rain, Romance is a Bonus Book, Bad and Crazy, Little Women, The Worst of Evil, and Gyeongseong Creature. Earlier this year, he had his first male lead role in the romance K-drama The Midnight Romance in Hagwon.

Gong Yoo as The Recruiter

The handsome Recruiter also returns for season 2, as he sets out to find another set of contestants desperate enough to join the game.

Gong Yoo, 45, has appeared in some of the most popular K-dramas and Korean movies ever, including Coffee Prince, Train to Busan, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, and Kim Ji Young: Born 1982. Before Squid Game, he starred in director Hwang's groundbreaking film Silenced in 2011. Recently, Gong has starred in two Netflix K-dramas: the sci-fi epic The Silent Sea, and the thriller melodrama The Trunk.

Yim Si-wan as Myung-gi (333)

Myung-gi used to be a popular YouTuber before he promoted a cryptocurrency that left himself and his subscribers broke. He was on the run from the law and his debtors before joining the game, where he runs into both his former followers and his ex-girlfriend, Jun-hee.

Yim Si-wan, 36, started his career as a K-pop idol in the boy group ZE:A, which debuted in 2010. He had his first major acting role in the 2012 K-drama Moon Embracing the Sun. His most notable projects include Misaeng: Incomplete Life, The Merciless, Strangers from Hell, Run On, Summer Strike, Unlocked, and Boston 1947.

Jo Yu-ri as Jun-hee (222)

Jun-hee is an "independent and persistent" young woman who "joins the game to earn a living," according to the featurette. When she was in a relationship with Myung-gi, she was advised to buy his crypto, but they fell out of touch before the game. Once she encounters him in the facility, she has to deal with both her ex-boyfriend and a major secret.

Jo Yu-ri, 23, started her career as a contestant on Korean reality competition shows, placing 15th on 2017's Idol School and 3rd on 2018's Produce 48. From the latter, she became the main vocalist of the K-pop girl group IZ*ONE, which released music from 2018 to 2021. Jo debuted as a K-pop soloist following the group's disbandment and later starred in the web drama Mimicus in 2022.

Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik (007)

Similarly to Gi-hun before he won the game, Yong-sik is a shameless gambler burdened by debt. The immature man is surprised to encounter his mother Geum-ja in the game, not knowing she had signed up.

Yang Dong-geun, 45, started his career as a child actor and went on to debut as a rapper (under the stage name YDG) in 2001. He has continued his acting and music careers concurrently to this day. Yang's most well-known shows include School, The Three Musketeers, Lost, Connect, and Moving, and he also had a stint as a judge on the rap competition show Show Me the Money.

Kang Ae-shim as Geum-ja (149)

Yong-sik's mother Geum-ja joined the game not for herself, but to help pay off her son's debt. The resilient and fiercely loyal woman refuses to give up on her son and always puts his needs before hers, for better or worse.

Kang Ae-shim, 61, is a stage and screen actress who has appeared in several K-dramas, including Be Melodramatic, When the Camellia Blooms, Move to Heaven, Hospital Playlist, Bad and Crazy, Queen of Divorce, and A Virtuous Business.

Lee Seo-hwan as Jung-bae (390)

Jung-bae is also a gambler who joins the game to pay off debts. Like others mentioned above, he runs into a familiar face in the game: his best friend Gi-hun, who he hadn't seen in years. Interested viewers can go back and spot Jung-bae alongside Gi-hun during the gambling scenes in the series premiere.

Lee Seo-hwan, 51, made his debut as a stage musical actor at the age of 32. He later appeared in dozens of K-dramas, including Fight for My Way, Romance is a Bonus Book, The Lies Within, The Devil Judge, Lost, Pachinko, Vigilante, Goodbye Earth, and The Tale of Lady Ok.

Park Gyu-young as No-eul

No-eul was a soldier in North Korea before she defected and fled to the South. She was forced to leave her newborn behind, and now she "has no other purpose in life than to find her child."

Park Gyu-young, 31, is a familiar face to Netflix K-drama fans. Since making her acting debut in 2015, she has grown into a prolific screen actress, starring in shows including It's Okay to Not Be Okay, Sweet Home, The Devil Judge, Dali & Cocky Prince, Celebrity, and A Good Day to Be a Dog. She's already set to return to Netflix soon in the upcoming 2025 K-drama, Mantis, a spinoff film from 2022's Kill Boksoon.

Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho (388)

Dae-ho is a former Marine with an "over-the-top masculinity and survival strategy," per the featurette. However, he's also "a bit of a friendly trickster" who, "deep down, is pretty fragile.

Kang Ha-neul, 34, is best known for his leading role in the romance K-drama When the Camellia Blooms, which earned him the Best Actor award at Korea's prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards. He has also appeared in the films Forgotten, The Pirates 2, Love Reset, and Pilot, as well as the dramas Misaeng and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju (120)

Hyun-ju (above, center) is a transgender woman and former special forces soldier, who joins the game to fund her gender-affirming surgery. Her training comes in handy, as she exhibits resilience and natural leadership. (In an interview with TV Guide, director Hwang said that it was "near impossible" to cast a trans actress in the role, as there are "close to no" openly trans actors in South Korea.)

Park Sung-hoon, 39, has quickly become one of the most exciting actors to watch in South Korea over the past few years. In 2022, he starred as unrepentant bully Jae-jun in the Netflix melodrama The Glory. Then, earlier this year, he had another leading villain role in the record-breaking drama Queen of Tears.

Lee Jin-uk as Gyeong-seok (246)

Gyeon-seok is a father who needs money to pay for his daughter Na-yeon's medical treatments, after the toddler is diagnosed with blood cancer.

Lee Jin-uk, 43, previously worked with Hwang Dong-hyuk in 2014, when he had a supporting role in the fantasy comedy Miss Granny. Lee is best known for his roles in Glass Castle, I Need Romance 2012, High Society, Voice, Sweet Home, and Welcome to Wedding Hell.

Chae Gook-hee as Seon-nyeo (044)

Per the featurette, Seon-nyeo is a "once-powerful Korean shaman past her prime" whose "main purpose in the show is to curse people and deliver prophecies."

Chae Gook-hee, 54, has primarily appeared in supporting roles in K-dramas, including Dear My Friends, The World of the Married, and Lovers of the Red Sky.

Choi Seung-hyun (T.O.P.) as Thanos (230)

Thanos is a retired rapper who subscribed to Myung-gi's YouTube channel and invested all his money in the same crypto coin. The harbinger of chaos joins the game after losing his life savings.

Choi Seung-hyun, 37, is also a retired rapper in real life, better known as T.O.P., the former lead rapper of K-pop group BIGBANG who left the group in 2023. As an actor, Choi made his film debut in 2009 and won Best New Actor at both the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Blue Dragon Film Awards. His well-known roles include 71: Into the Fire, IRIS, Commitment, Tazza 2: The Hidden Card, and The Secret Message.

Lee David as Min-su (125)

Min-su is a timid and cowardly man in his 20s, who's bullied into joining the "Thanos team" for group challenges.

He's played by Lee David, 30, who started his career as a child actor. He's best known for the K-dramas Bring It On, Ghost, Save Me, Itaewon Class, and Law School, as well as the movies Unforgettable and The Fortress.

Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu (124)

Nam-gyu once met Thanos while working as a bouncer at a nightclub. He ends up as Thanos's right-hand man and punching bag, so Nam-gyu bullies the weaker Min-su.

Roh Jae-won, 31, is a rising actor who has appeared in several recent K-dramas, including D.P., Daily Dose of Sunshine, A Killer Paradox, Uncle Samsik, and Doubt.

Won Ji-an as Se-mi (380)

Se-mi is a "bold and determined" woman who joins Thanos team alongside Min-su. Per the featurette, "To her, hitting 'X' to leave the game is actually scarier than risking her life to keep playing."

Won Ji-an, 25, is a rising actress whose first K-drama role was in D.P. She's also starred in Hope or Dope, If You Wish Upon Me, Heartbeat, and A Year-End Medley.