'Squid Game' Season 2's Hyun-ju wins hearts online

Ever since 'Squid Game' Season 2 debuted on December 26, fans have been taking sides and lending support to their favourite characters. One of these stand-out characters is

Hyun-ju

, a transgender character, who has won hearts for her emotional story and impressive action-role.
Interestingly, netizens were surprised that the actor playing the part, was not transgender, but the famous male Korean star Park Sung-hoon. The creator of the hit series,

Hwang Dong-hyuk

, has now addressed the 'heartbreaking' decision about the casting choice.
Hyun-ju, also known as Player 120, is a former soldier undergoing her transition and hopes to win the deadly games’ prize money to fund her gender-affirming surgery and aim to move to Thailand in a more accepting society.

In an interview with TV Guide, Hwang expressed his disappointment at not being able to cast a transgender woman in the role, saying, "When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently, the LGBTQ community is still rather marginalized and neglected, which is heartbreaking."

He added that the scarcity of openly transgender performers in South Korea led him to cast Park Sung-hoon, a seasoned actor whose talent and dedication Hwang trusted implicitly.

Hwang also emphasized the significance of including a trans character his show, saying to Gizmodo that it was aimed to focus on society’s marginalized groups. "The people who join the games in Squid Game are usually marginalized or neglected, not just financially but in other aspects of life," he said and added, "In season one, we had Ali, a foreign worker in Korea, as a representative of minority groups. For season two, I wanted to address gender minorities, who unfortunately remain underrepresented and face significant societal challenges in Korea."

Meanwhile, the character of Hyun-ju has been hailed by netizens as the 'MVP of Season 2'. Some have even gone as far as declaring "Hyunju (player 120) the best character this season for sure."
Another said, "Hyun-ju (Park Sunghoon) definitely carried the show !! Been rooting for this character EVERY SINGLE GAME. Hyun-ju is so precious."

'Squid Game' will continue with Season 3 which is slated to release in 2025. The show will pick up after the events of Season 2 and will reportedly continue to focus on Seong Gi-hun's revenge.