With a giant Young-hee doll towering menacingly above them, the creator and stars of Squid game met with the press in South Korea on Monday to publicly discuss the second season of Netflix’s most-watched series for the first time. Fans and influencers who traveled to Seoul from around the world for the occasion were able to excitedly talk about how unsettling it was to be in the presence of the deadly Squid GameThe figure, as well as the legions of pink-clad guards stationed throughout the event in the city’s futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza. But it didn’t last long Squid gameDirector and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk reminded everyone that a much more serious backdrop loomed ahead of the series’ highly anticipated launch in their home country – a deepening political crisis sparked by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law less ago than a week was triggered.

“There is political turmoil in Korea, and I am here with a heavy heart,” Hwang said. The director later added that, given developments in his country, he was unsure whether members of the press would even attend the premiere.

“For us to release this show at this hour, I think it’s just fate,” Hwang said, explaining that he consciously honed his skills Squid games‘ dark socio-political commentary for season two in response to the growing “conflicts, divisions, upheavals and wars” seen in societies around the world.

South Korea has been in crisis since Tuesday evening, when the country’s deeply unpopular president took the drastic step of declaring a martial law state of emergency, only to withdraw it six hours later after public outrage and a unanimous vote by the national legislature to withdraw. On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the country’s National Assembly as lawmakers gathered again to vote on Yoon’s impeachment. But the president escaped impeachment when all members of his ruling People Power Party (PPP) fled the chamber and boycotted the vote. Party leaders have since said they are managing the country’s affairs as Yoon prepares for an eventual resignation. However, opposition members and many analysts argued that the unprecedented agreement had no constitutional basis and would only prolong the political crisis.

Hwang said Saturday’s result was “unimaginable” and that he was “outraged as a Korean citizen.”

“We have to take to the streets,” he added. “Whether through impeachment or resignation, the person responsible for imposing martial law must accept responsibility. I hope that we can return to a state of stability and that the Korean people can enjoy a festive holiday season at the end of the year – the people deserve to have it returned to them.”

Much of the Korean entertainment industry has supported the protests calling for Yoon’s removal. On Friday, over 2,500 representatives of the country’s film industry gathered – including parasite Director and multiple Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho and acclaimed author Park Chan-wook – signed a petition calling for the president’s impeachment and arrest.

Hwang added at the premiere: “The second season has a lot of parallels to what we are experiencing in the world right now. And it’s with a heavy heart that I feel like I’m watching the second season of Squid game won’t be much different than watching the news – and I want you to take it that way.”

Many other moments from Netflix Squid game The spectacle in Seoul was business as usual for a top entertainment title making its first public appearance, with stars posing for photos and discussing the excitement of returning to set for the next installment of a hugely popular series.

The series’ Emmy-winning star, Lee Jung-jae, said the anticipation for the second season was so high that “we almost felt a little bit relieved of the pressure when the cameras were rolling.”

The Squid game The launch is indeed an important moment for Netflix’s Korean and global content teams. The company took over the huge Dongdaemun Design Plaza in downtown Seoul and equipped the facility Squid game sets, or “fan activation zones,” and a snaking pink carpet where the show’s stars would walk on Monday night for the premiere of the first episode of season two.

Squid gameAccording to the company, Netflix’s first season still holds the record as the most popular Netflix series of all time, with an astounding 330 million views or over 2.8 billion hours of viewing to date. The title has been instrumental in making Korean content increasingly popular worldwide. Netflix says more than 80 percent of its current global subscriber base has watched some Korean content on the service.

Viewership for Squid gameImmediately after the release of the teaser trailer for the new season, the number of viewers in season 1 increased by 60 percent, which, according to Netflix, signals great anticipation for the future.

Hwang, who lost eight teeth due to stress during production of the first season, added that a “new toothache arose” during filming of the second season. The showrunner has written and directed every single episode of the hit series himself – including the upcoming third season – an unusual feat in the international TV industry.

“I kind of avoid my dentist,” he said, “because I feel like as soon as I go to see him, I’m going to have at least two more teeth removed and I’ll need more implants.”

“The reason for this Squid game “The series has been loved by so many around the world because it is such a Korean theme – with Korean games at its core – but the mood the story conveys is so universal,” said Korean lead actor Lee Byung-hun , who plays the show’s enigmatic villain, the frontman.

Lee Jung-jae added that fans shouldn’t be surprised to find that his character is a man who has been profoundly changed by what he experienced in Season 1.

“It’s the same character, but he’s a very changed person,” Lee said. “The way he perceives the circumstances around him and engages with the world will almost seem like a different person to him. He’s goal-oriented more than anything – and he believes he’ll bring the game to an end.”

Hwang acknowledged that Season 2 features far more young cast members than the first block of episodes – including actress No Eul as a mysterious North Korean defector, Hyun Ju as a transgender woman looking for money for gender-affirming surgery and Jun Hee as a headstrong one Person young woman dealing with huge debt; and young heartthrob Myung Gi as a broke crypto bro; among other things.

“When I wrote Season 1, it was before the pandemic, and for someone to be in enough debt to be drawn into this game, I thought you had to be older,” the director explained. “Because you can’t dive so deeply into life at such a young age. But between seasons 1 and 2, we had Covid and the cryptocurrency boom, and I realized that the social ladder is no longer there to climb. Today, young people are forced to simply look for the jackpot. Now young people can really find themselves up to their necks in debt.”

“Our society has become more drastic and many people feel that it is going into a downward spiral,” he added.

Hwang also emphasized that his top priority when writing the show’s final two-season arc was always to create an impactful piece of entertainment, even as a strong socio-political allegory runs through the second season.

“Ultimately what matters is that the show is entertaining,” he said. “I want people to react and say, ‘If this isn’t a good show, I don’t know what is.’

Squid gameSeason 2 premieres on December 26th. The battle between Lee Jung-jae’s player 456 and the frontman will continue until the series finale with Season 3, which will be released in 2025.