The controversy surrounding the casting of former BIGBANG member and actor Choi Seung Hyun (T.O.P) in the second season of Netflix's original series "Squid Game" has been addressed.

Director Hwang Dong Hyuk has decided not to provide any explanation for his decision to cast him.

When questioned by OSEN on the 5th about Choi Seung Hyun's possible departure from the show, a representative from 'Squid Game 2' stated that they had not heard anything about it.

The representative clarified that filming for "Squid Game Season 2" has not yet begun.

The representative further explained that director Hwang Dong Hyuk will not make any statements regarding T.O.P's involvement and will refrain from revealing the reasons behind his casting decision. The representative added that filming is expected to commence soon.

The news of the upcoming season and the anticipation of viewers worldwide, including in Korea, has sparked discussions among netizens, who have shared their thoughts on the matter:

"Why did they choose him?"

"So he wanted to target a global audience but disregarded the opinions of Koreans? I don't understand why he was cast."

"Ah, I won't be watching then.ㅠㅠ"

"Are they similar in some way? Why would he choose someone like him? Aside from his scandals, his acting is subpar and unpleasant."

"If you're not happy, just don't watch it."

"I didn't watch the first season, and I'll be even less interested in the second one. Birds of a feather."

"Out of all the actors available, why him? Just why?"

"I don't like Lee Jungjae either, so I didn't watch the first season. I won't be tuning in for the second one either.ㅋ"

"What a failure."

"No shame… absolutely shameless."

What are your thoughts?

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IVE is on fire, winning big even when the odds are against them!

On January 30, IVE (Ahn Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Jang Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo) made waves by taking home their fifth music show win with their pre-release song “Rebel Heart.” Despite M Countdown being off the air and replaced with a highlight show, IVE still claimed the top spot for the final week of January.

The show revealed the winner at the end, and to everyone’s surprise, IVE secured their second consecutive #1 victory!

This major achievement marks a historic milestone for the group, reaching five music show wins with just their pre-release track.

Fans, known as DIVE, couldn’t be more excited, and IVE couldn’t be more grateful. In a statement from Starship Entertainment, the group expressed, "It feels like a surprise gift right before our official comeback. We've only had happy moments promoting 'Rebel Heart,' and we're so thankful for this 1st place win."

They went on to add, "Starting from February 3, we will bring even more happiness to DIVE. The title track 'Attitude' we will release then is a song that we all really love, and we hope DIVE will look forward to it."

“Rebel Heart,” released on January 13, is the pre-release track for IVE’s third mini-album IVE EMPATHY, which will drop on February 3. The song has already been making waves on both domestic and international music charts. It continues to perform well on Billboard, landing at 51st on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and 97th on Billboard Global 200 as of February 1.

But it’s not just chart success that’s getting attention! The “Rebel Heart” dance challenge on TikTok has taken the internet by storm, with the members’ dance challenge videos collectively surpassing 24.96 million views with just two posts.

Additionally, viral challenges like the emoji challenge and the band challenge—where popular Korean bands perform the chorus of “Rebel Heart” in their own style—have sparked enthusiastic responses from fans all over the world.

With their official comeback just around the corner, IVE is poised for even greater success. Get ready for IVE EMPATHY and the double title tracks, including “Attitude,” coming on February 3.

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