Global countdown to ‘Squid Game’ season 2 with games from the movie

“Squid Game” Season 2. Courtesy of Netflix

With just about a month to go until the second season of the Netflix original series “The Squid Game” premieres, the world is in a countdown. Seoul, Paris, and other cities around the world are hosting large-scale events for fans who have been waiting for the series for the past three years.

According to Netflix, on November 27, the busiest place to celebrate the new season is the show’s home country of South Korea. Netflix Korea is hosting a world premiere event for fans at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul on December 9. The event will include a pink carpet photo wall with the cast of the new season and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, as well as a special performance by dance crew 1Million. There will also be a variety of experience zones and photo zones for fans to enjoy.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will also present a special exhibition of “The Squid Game” Season 2 in collaboration with Netflix. On the 21st of next month, a 1-kilometer parade will be held from Seoul Plaza to Gwanghwamun. A 7-meter puppet of “Young-hee,” the tagger doll who opened fire on the contestants in the series, will greet the crowd. People will be able to take photos with her and try to play the game of ddakji.

On December 1, the center of Paris, France, will be transformed into the center of “Squid Game 2.” Netflix France will be hosting a “Red Light, Green Light” game on the Champs-Elysees. A total of 456 participants will be randomly selected from among fans of the series. 456 is the number of the main character, Sung Ki-hoon. In a video released by Netflix France on its official social media accounts, a huge figure of Young-hee can be seen watching the participants from across the Arc de Triomphe. The contestants are dressed in the series’ signature green sweatshirts. “Divided into three teams, the contestants will play games under the guidance of three famous creators,” Netflix explained. The winner will be invited to a preview screening of “The Squid Game 2” on the 10th of the same month.

The game, “Red Light, Green Light,” will be played in Paris, France, on December 1 to celebrate the release of “Squid Game” Season 2. Screenshot of Netflix France

A midnight running competition will be held in Los Angeles on December 13 to commemorate the release of “Squid Game” Season 2. Courtesy of Netflix

On the 13th, Los Angeles, USA, will host a midnight run to celebrate the series premiere. Participants will run 4.56 kilometers through downtown Los Angeles in green sweatpants. They will be cheered on by actors Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun. Finishers will receive tickets to the premiere of “Squid Game 2” scheduled for the same day.

On the 18th, a live music performance of “Squid Game 2” will be held in London, England. World-renowned Korean DJ Peggy Goo will take the stage. There will also be booths at the venue where you can try Korean food and play games from the series.

The series’ producers and cast began their promotional activities in earnest by attending the Lucca Comics and Games Festival in Lucca, Italy, on October 31. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and actors Lee Jung-jae and Wi Ha-joon released a teaser video on the same day, drawing cheers from local fans.

The reason behind Netflix’s big events, especially around the world, is the high expectations for the upcoming release of its highest-grossing movie of all time, The Squid Game. Season 1 of The Squid Game, released in 2021, remains Netflix’s most-watched content to date, with 2.252 billion hours of cumulative viewing time (as of November 24). At a press conference in Seoul in August, Hwang said, “Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos personally visited the set, bought Korean beef dinner, adding, “We have a lot of expectations and support from headquarters.”

The same goes for the tight security that was in place during the filming of seasons two and three. To prevent spoilers, the producers gave the actors scripts in digital form that could not be printed or shared externally, and each actor did not know what happened after their character was eliminated from the game. With the exception of a handful of actors who survived to the end of the series, most did not know how the story unfolds.

Security for the press was also tight. Last December’s on-set reveal of the Season 2 and 3 sets of “The Squid Game” to more than 70 Korean media outlets ended an 11-month embargo. The contents of the Season 2 press conference held in August were also released only recently, three months later.

Season 2 of “The Squid Game” will follow the story of Sung Ki-hoon (played by Lee Jung-jae), who won the game, as he enters the squid game once again, vowing revenge. In the second main trailer released today, it is revealed that Ki-hoon has entered the game once again to stop the carnage and take revenge on those who created the game. It also reveals the villain (Choi Seung-hyun), who is trying to win the prize at the expense of others.

It will be released simultaneously worldwide on Netflix on December 26. The release date was chosen to accommodate audiences in North America and Europe who will be on long vacations right after the Christmas holidays and into the New Year.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.