Is Squid based on a true story? The truth behind her disturbing inspirations

Netflix’s “Squid Game” was a huge global hit in 2021, and has managed to maintain that status almost three years later with the recent release of Season 2 (Which ends in an insanely frustrating adventure). Expectations for the third and final season of the South Korean survival thriller have reached an all-time high, as the fate of its characters – both new and returning faces – remains up in the air. The true culprits behind the titular games remain a mystery to Seung Ji Hoon/Player 456 (Lee Jung Jae), who is seen entering the dehumanizing death match. once again In the second season of the show where he wishes to shut down the games once and for all. The latest iteration of the games looks bloodier than everexposing humanity’s heinous tendencies when faced with a survival scenario designed to encourage the worst in us.

While the massive popularity of “Squid Game” can be attributed to series creator/director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s taut, compelling vision and the enthusiastic performances it established, social media trends undoubtedly played an integral role in helping the show gain traction. TikTok trends revolving around the series have partly helped cement it into the popular culture zeitgeist, whether in the form of viral fancams, the formulation of theories in bite-sized formats, or very specific memes. Season 2 is no exception to this ongoing trend, as you must have come across the recent trend “Mingle Dance” on Tiktok, which refers to a particular challenge from the new season. You may also have found thousands of unique fancams Actor Lee Byung-hun, who played the role of The Front Man He has left audiences curious about his other cinematic contributions over the years.

Unfortunately, this obsessive scrutiny can be a double-edged sword. Days after the series’ second season premiere, a now-viral video on TikTok claimed that a “real-life” Squid Game took place in 1986, in an “underground bunker in No Man’s Land, where people were held captive and had to complete several games.” In order to survive” (Heb Korea Times). The claim was made alongside images of what appears to be a dilapidated warehouse with vibrant walls and stairs, similar to the large, maze-like lobby in the series. The images also showed groups of people, presented as unwilling participants in these allegedly inhumane death games. This video has been shared over 17,000 times and currently has over 50,000 likes.

This claim and some of the photos shared with it have been proven true Undeniably false.

The photos used in the viral TikTok were of real inmates from Brothers Home, a concentration camp in Busan that was active during the 1970s and 1980s. These horrific real images were mixed with AI-generated components of a warehouse with pink and green walls to intentionally tie in with the Netflix series. The false suggestion that “Squid Game” is a dramatic re-imagining of the real-life atrocities that occurred in Brothers’ Home can be traced back to similar internet rumors surrounding the first season, which were reinforced by media articles that echoed these unsubstantiated claims at the time almost. It goes without saying that it is a shame that the horrific reality of Brothers Home has been linked to a fictional series to manufacture shock value, while removing discrimination or empathy from the equation.

The horrors of Brothers Home require lengthy and careful discussion, but here are some bare bones facts about a Korean internment camp masquerading as a welfare facility. In the 1970s and 1980s South Korea saw efforts at grassroots reforms, with preparations for the Seoul Olympics looming large, leading to comprehensive nationwide reform. This period was preceded by the continuing effects of the Korean War, which forced the government to turn its attention toward the most affected demographics. However, instead of rehabilitating the most vulnerable social groups, the government chose to “purge” any symbols of “anarchy” to enhance its normal reputation ahead of the Olympics. The Social Welfare Services Act of 1970 legitimizes the arrest and detention of anyone deemed by authorities to be “vagrant,” including orphaned/unsupervised children and persons with disabilities.

Investigations into the “Brotherhood House,” a social care center on paper, revealed that inmates were subjected to forced labor, sexual violence, and horrific psychological torture. Testimonials that appeared Subsequent investigations revealed that chemical drugs were often force-fed before being administered, and contemporary reports counted a total of 657 deaths within the Brothers Home. To this day, no one has been held legally accountable for these deaths and the alleged human rights violations that occurred within the facility.

The underlying themes running through “Squid Game” may be quite heavy-handed, but any fantasy premise that is highly critical of capitalism and its ramifications (with an emphasis on what makes us human), is, in my book, very welcome. Hwang Dong-hyuk combines hellish death struggles with the unlivable real world of the frontier, where people are burdened by massive debt and desperate efforts to make ends meet. Although The ethos surrounding squid games is undoubtedly insulting and hypocriticalThis moral vacuum is easy to transcend for those who have their backs against the wall and are willing to pay any The price of the impressive piggy bank containing 45.6 billion won.

in 2021 interview with The GuardianDong Hyuk explained that the idea for “Squid Game” resulted from his financial situation in 2009, following the global financial crisis that hit him and his family hard:

“I was very financially strapped because my mother had retired from the company she was working for. There was a film I was working on but we failed to get financing. So I couldn’t work for about a year. We had to take out loans.” – Me, my mother and my grandmother (…) read “Battle Royal”, “Liar Game” and other comics related to survival games, who were desperate for money and success. Low point in my life if there is a survival game like this in In fact, I wondered, will I join it to earn money for my family? I realized that since I am a filmmaker, I can put my own touch on these kind of stories so I started writing the script.

Regarding the title of the series, the director mentioned that he used to play the “squid game” when he was a child, which is a version of the game that relies on physical strength for the winner to make his way to the squid’s head drawn on the ground. “You were good at fighting to get to the squid head. You had to fight to win,” Dong Hyuk said, explaining his inspiration for depicting the thematic layers behind Ji Hoon’s pyrrhic victory and eventual comeback.