'Squid Game': A series that casts criminals?

‘Squid Game’ has opened the eyes of the global and South Korean public to the controversies surrounding its actors, especially with the discussion around how T.O.P, who plays Thanos, had been blacklisted and had his scenes erased from South Korean television for his past controversy. However, netizens are pointing out that many other cast members in the show have been overlooked for crimes that could be deemed as bad, if not worse.

Content warning: This gallery contains mentions of assault.

It was only after months after the global premiere of ‘Squid Game’ 2 that K-pop star and actor T.O.P was able to be publicly part of promotions for the show.

Image: Netflix

The Korea Herald reports that T.O.P was blacklisted from the K-entertainment industry for years due to his 2017 drug use scandal, which led him to have to serve 10 months in jail.

However, despite the jail term and the passing of time, South Korean mainstream media remained unforgiving towards T.O.P by even erasing scenes with the star in the national premiere of season two of ‘Squid Game’ in the country, reports Allkpop.

Not many netizens agreed with the harsh treatment that T.O.P has endured under South Korean media, with some even arguing that several members of the ‘Squid Game’ cast have done what is arguably worse, with some who have been let off relatively lightly.

Image: Netflix

Lee Jung-jae, the main actor and star of ‘Squid Game’ seasons 1 and 2 himself, was reported by Allkpop to have "a history of DUI and assault charges" back then.

The same article from Allkpop continues with stating that the actor had been arrested for driving under the influence of alc0h0l twice and had also been charged twice for assault.

Image: Netflix

Koreaboo reports that not many knew about Lee Jung-jae’s violent history until the actor shot to giant fame with the popularity of ‘Squid Game’, which prompted an unknown netizen to compile a list of the star’s charges and upload it online. The release of this information shocked many.

Considered the next major character in the ‘Squid Game’ series, Lee Byung-hun is another scandalised member of the cast of the show. Although he does not have a formal criminal charge under his belt, the scandals in which he has been involved are quite damning.

According to Korea JoongAng Daily, Lee Byung-hun was first sued by his ex-girlfriend, Kwon Mi-yeon, in 2009 for “mental distress and physical damages" and for lying about his intent to marry her. She also accused him of having been involved in illegal gambling.

Although the charges against Lee Byung-hun in the 2009 lawsuit were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence and because Kwon Mi-yeon had failed to show up enough for the legal proceedings for the case, reports Newsen.

Lee Byung-hun would enter into yet another scandal in 2014, where he was a victim of blackmailing from two members of the girl group ‘Glam’.

Although he was the victim in this instance, The Korea Herald reports that the scandal put him in a negative light, as the two pop stars were blackmailing Lee Byung-hun for making inappropriate and misogynist jokes about them while being a married man himself.

Song Young-chang’s casting in season 2 of ‘Squid Game’ was one that was deeply disturbing, as Malay Mail reports that the 66-year-old was convicted in 2000 for soliciting a minor for intercourse and had to serve a prison term for the crime.

Image: Netflix

The Tab added that Song Young-chan only served one month out of his 10-month prison term and then 'escaped' to Canada under the guise of learning English.

Image: CJ Entertainment

Song Young-chan was banned later from some of South Korea’s biggest TV networks like KBS, MBC, and EBS for his crimes, just like T.O.P.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Malay Mail reports that the ban seemed to have little consequence to Song Young-chan’s career, as he still managed to be cast in several other dramas and movies after, like in ‘Squid Game’, and wasn’t as censored as T.O.P was in the national premiere of the show.

Image: CJ Entertainment

Although he only appeared in the first season of ‘Squid Game’, O Yeong-su’s character, Oh Il-nam, was a fan favourite in the series, and his performance had even earned him a Golden Globe back in 2022, CNN reports.

However, it was only after his ‘Squid Game’ fame that O Yeong-su was charged with s e * ual assault and misconduct for multiple incidents in 2017. The New York Times reports that he was formally charged in 2024 on an eight-month prison term.

Image: Netflix

Lee Jin-wook is another actor in ‘Squid Game’ to be accused of s e * ual assault. According to The Korea Times, the ‘Squid Game’ season 2 actor had been accused of the crime back in 2016, where he had attempted to have relations after the two shared drinks. The actor had countersued his accuser in retaliation.

According to Soompi, Lee Jin-wook was cleared of charges due to insufficient evidence, and his accuser was later charged with the crime of falsely accusing Lee Jin-wook of assault due to the grey area of whether the two's relationships were coerced, which is the South Korean definition of s e x ual assault, or non-consent, which is not a reason accepted in South Korea.