Squid Game 2 Director criticized for casting actor Park Sung Hoon as transgender

The long-awaited second season of Korean thriller Play octopus hair has been mired in several controversies even before the series hits Netflix on December 26.

One of them is over the casting of The glory stars Park Sung Hoon as a transgender woman named Hyun Ju aka Player 120.

She is one of many money grabbers who participate in the deadly games to win a massive cash prize.

According to Sung Hoon, Hyun Ju is a former special forces soldier who is participating in the games to fund her gender reassignment surgery.

The inclusion of a transgender character in a K-drama is a big deal for the relatively conservative country, where LGBT groups continue to experience discrimination. Director Hwang Dong Hyuk wanted to shed light on the minority group.

Although he had good intentions, many were upset that the show didn’t cast an actual transgender actor instead.

“That’s not how you represent… a cis man pretending to be part of a minority group just doesn’t sit well with me, especially when they could have hired an actual trans actress,” wrote one netizen on X.

There were also concerns that Sung Hoon might face backlash for taking on the role.

In October, conservative organizations called for a ban on BL drama Love in the big city, accusing the show of “glorifying and promoting homosexuality”.

While trailers for the drama were removed and promotions stopped in an attempt to quell protests, the series aired as scheduled.