Netflix's original "Squid Game" showed that the popularity of K-content could be a huge "trend" that simply does not end in the box office success of one or two works.

The fact that director Na Hyun, starring actor Park Hae Soo of "Squid Game," recently ranked third in the world in the Netflix film category (as of the April 11 of the FLEX Patrol), proves this.

Director Na Hyun of "Yacha" and lead actor Seol Kyung Gu attributed the popularity of "Yacha" to subscribers' keen interest in Park Hae Soo, who emerged as a "world star" through the "Squid Game."

This shows that the popularity of the "squid game" is spreading to interest in other contents in Korea.

"Squid Game" was recorded as diverse as Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" in 2019.

Leading actors Lee Jung Jae and Jung Ho Yeon were the first Korean actors to win the Best Actor in a TV Drama Series and Best Actress in a TV Drama Series at the SAG, respectively.

Lee Jung Jae also won the Best Actor Award in a Drama Series at the Critics Choice Awards in the U.S.

At the same awards ceremony, "Squid Game" won the "Two-time title" by winning a foreign language drama award.

ActorO Yeong Su of "Kkabu Grandpa" is the first Korean actor to win the best supporting actor award in a TV drama category at the 79th Golden Globe Awards.

Behind the success of the "Squid Game" was the hard work of director Hwang Dong Hyuk, who complained that six teeth were lost due to the stress he gained while preparing for the work.

According to director Hwang Dong Hyuk, "Squid Game" was planned as a movie in 2008 more than a decade ago, but it was not produced due to criticism that it was "unfamiliar and difficult."

The work, which had been buried for about 10 years, met Netflix and was planned as a series, and it became a "great work" that topped the world's top 10 TV programs (show) category for 46 consecutive days.

Now, director Hwang Dong Hyuk's future move is a major issue that not only the Korean content industry but also the global content industry pays attention to.

For this reason, not only domestic but also foreign media are showing great interest by reporting on Hwang's next film.

Again, the most interesting topic is season 2 of "Squid Game."

According to the Korean broadcasting and film industry, director Hwang Dong Hyuk has recently begun writing the script for season 2 of "Squid Game."

Coach Hwang mentioned about season 2 at the PGA at the end of last month, "There will be a better game, that's all I can say." At the time, he said, "I'm still brainstorming and collecting ideas for season 2, and I haven't started writing yet."

It is already known that Lee Jung Jae, the main character, including Lee Byung Hun and Gong Yoo, will appear in season 2.

In the PGA interview, director Hwang said, "We will try to make the actors who appeared in season 1 appear in season 2," raising questions about Jung Ho Yeon's character, saying, "There may be twin sisters."

On April 5, a little later, Hwang Dong Hyuk announced that season 2 of "Squid Game" will be released on Netflix in 2024 at an event on MIPTV in Cannes, France.

At the meeting, he also mentioned his next work other than "Squid Game."

It's a project called 'Killing the Elderly Club.' Director Hwang said he wrote a 25-page treatment for his next film, adding, "It's another problematic work, it's going to be more violent than the Squid Game." "Killing the Elderly Club" is known to have come up with the idea from the article "How Old People Survive" in Umberto Eco's essay book "How to Pretend to Understand the Crazy World."

Director Hwang later attended the recent "Deadline Contenders Television" event and talked about "Killing the Senior Club."

"This project and the upcoming project have to take into account the political polarization, cultural differences and difficulties, environmental climate change, etc. that we will observe, criticize and continue to deal with these topics in future projects," he raised expectations.

Hyun Bin is finally addressing the long-standing "ddongcha" (poop car) theory surrounding his character from My Name is Kim Sam-soon—and he's not holding back!

In an interview on the 19th with Star News, the beloved actor confessed, "I was wrong," responding to the reevaluation of his iconic role as Hyun Jin-heon from the 2005 hit drama. The "ddongcha" theory has been a subject of online debate for years, with many viewers critiquing Hyun Jin-heon’s character as overly arrogant and entitled.

Hyun Bin, who first rose to fame in My Name is Kim Sam-soon, took the time to reflect on the character that made him a household name. He shared, “I was just following the script; there were no personal opinions added to the character of Hyun Jin-heon. At that time, I knew Hyun Jin-heon was portrayed as a ‘bad boy,’ and the way it was expressed was different from today’s standards.”

With My Name is Kim Sam-soon now being re-released as part of Wavve's "New Classic" project, fans are revisiting the 2005 drama, and the character of Hyun Jin-heon is under fresh scrutiny. Director Kim Yun-cheol even admitted that the "prince on a white horse" and "bad boy" tropes that once worked in 2005 don’t quite match today's sensibilities, leading to edits in the 2024 version.

Hyun Bin humbly acknowledged his gratitude for his successful career and hit works, saying, "It’s wonderful and I am grateful to have so many hit works. I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing writers, directors, and actors. Thanks to them, I’ve received a lot of attention and love." He also shared a sense of humility, noting, “But I never know when that luck will come again."

Despite the dramatic shift in perspective on his character, Hyun Bin’s charm and dedication remain strong. Fans are eager to see him in his upcoming film Harbin (directed by Woo Min-ho), set to be released on the 24th.

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