North Korea Compares “Squid Game” To “Beastly South Korean Society”

BYHayley Hynes1.9K Views
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North Korea

“Squid Game” is officially Netflix’s most successful show ever.

The Netflix original series, Squid Game has quickly risen to a level of global success that no one quite anticipated. The 9-episode show has been receiving love from countries all over the world, although one location in particular has been publicizing a lot of hate for the show.

According to TMZ, a North Korean propaganda website called Arirang Meari has provided the country’s residents with a review of the Hwang Dong-hyuk directed show.

The site says that Squid Game “gained popularity because it exposes the reality of South Korean capitalist culture,” and that it exposes “a world where only money matters — a hell-like horror.”

Arirang Meari reportedly sees a capitalist society as one where “corruption and immoral scoundrels are commonplace.”

During Squid Game, viewers are introduced to 456 players, all of whom are desperate for money to pay off their debts so that they might be able to escape the loan sharks that they’re seemingly always running from.

The players partake in a series of children’s games (sounds easy, but many of them end in a very bloody mess), and those still standing at the end will split a prize pool worth $38 million.

The show can be compared to the Bong Joon-ho directed film, Parasite, seeing as both address the mass wealth gap that exists, and how people are so often willing to go to desperate measures just to ensure they’re scraping by financially.

“It is said that it makes people realize the sad reality of the beastly South Korean society in which human beings are driven into extreme competition and their humanity is being wiped out,” the propaganda site reads. 

According to TMZ, North Korean citizens can receive hefty fines, or even jail time, if they’re caught watching South Korean media. 

One country may be expressing their disdain for Squid Game, but the rest of the world appears to be hooked and eagerly waiting for news of a second season.

Do you agree with North Korea’s sentiments, or are you a fan of the Netflix original series?

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.