Squid Game Season 2 Faces Boycott Calls & Potential Removal Abroad Over Alleged Historical Inaccuracies

Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Squid Game season 2!

Season 2 of Netflix’s hit Korean survival thriller, Squid Game, has angered viewers in one Asian country, with calls for a boycott and its potential removal from the streaming platform. With season 1 smashing viewership records and accruing an impressive array of award nominations, Netflix released the highly anticipated continuation worldwide on December 26, 2024. While the critical response to Squid Game season 2 has not been as overwhelming as season 1’s unprecedented international embrace, reviews for the show’s second season are still largely positive.

Per The Korea Times, however, one particular moment in Squid Game season 2 has prompted serious backlash in Vietnam, with the matter ultimately being referred to the country’s authorities for review. The issue in question relates to the show’s references to the Vietnam War, with many viewers accusing the show of glorifying the participation of South Korean soldiers in the conflict and “whitewash[ing] the atrocities” that had been committed. According to Vietnamese state media outlet Lao Dong, the Vietnam Cinema Department is reviewing whether season 2 conflicts with the nation’s film laws. The department has stated:

If it is concluded that the series violates regulations, we will handle the matter in accordance with the law.

What Has Prompted The Squid Game Season 2 Controversy

This latest controversy is not the first time that Squid Game season 2 has found itself the subject of criticism, with the casting of a cisgender male actor as the trans woman character Hyun-ju, also leading to online backlash. However, this latest controversy stems from the personal history of player 388, Dae-ho (played by Kang Ha-neul), and the way his character’s father is described.

During season 2 episode 5 “One More Game”, Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun and his team celebrate their victory in the second game and begin to share more about their lives. When Gi-hun asks why Dae-ho was sent to the Marines when he was the only son in his family, he explained that it was his father’s idea, because he “wanted me to become a real man.” Dae-ho also explains that his father was a veteran of the Vietnam War, to which Gi-hun replies, “Your father must be an honorable man.”

It was this exchange that prompted the ongoing backlash among many Vietnamese viewers, who felt the dialogue glorified the participation of South Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War. Moreover, some of the online commentary to emerge accuses South Korea of promoting double standards. The Korea Times report highlights online various comments to emerge from Vietnamese viewers, including one which states, “South Korea demands apologies and reparations from Japan for colonial rule but boasts about its military involvement in Vietnam.”

Our Take On Squid Game Season 2’s Boycott Calls

Netflix Has Already Experienced Issues With Korean Content In Vietnam

The monumental success of Squid Game season 1 was a major step forward for the promotion of non-English content on the international stage. However, given the vastly complex and sometimes delicate nature of relationships between nations, the expectations and cultural viewpoints of one nation’s entertainment exports are not always well received by others. When those shared histories also involve armed conflict, it inevitably becomes exponentially more difficult to navigate such an exchange without issue.

This is not the first time that Korean-produced dramas have been met with opposition from Vietnamese audiences in relation to their handling of the Vietnam War, and in 2022, Netflix was also forced to take down the Korean drama Little Women for a similar reason. Whether the Vietnam Cinema Department will make a similar ruling for Squid Game season 2 remains to be seen, but the issue serves to highlight the often delicate nature of exporting entertainment products on a worldwide stage.

Source: The Korea Times