‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Cast’s Music And K-Pop Connections

The highly anticipated second season of Squid Game premieres globally on December 26, 2024, exclusively on Netflix at 3 a.m. EST (which is 5 p.m. KST). As fans prepare for Season 2 of the dystopian thriller that captivated audiences and critics worldwide in 2021, the new season boasts not only intense drama but also a cast with remarkable musical talents.

Familiar faces returning from the first season include Wi Hajoon (as detective Hwang Junho), Lee Byunghun (as the enigmatic “Front Man”), and Gong Yoo (the mysterious, handsome recruiter. But beyond their gripping portrayals, each actor has also shared their musical flair with the world: Wi Hajoon has showcased his vocal abilities, Lee Byunghun released his own album, and Gong Yoo’s legendary appearances in K-pop music videos continue to resonate with fans.

Joining them in Season 2 are some of K-pop’s brightest stars. Jo Yuri, formerly of the chart-topping girl group IZ*ONE, adds a fresh energy to the cast with her solo career reflecting her vocal and performance prowess. Meanwhile, Choi Seunghyun, better known as T.O.P of BIGBANG, is also stepping into the Squid Game spotlight, bringing his charismatic stage presence and years of global acclaim as a rapper, singer and lyricist to the new role.

From familiar faces fans will remember from the first season to the new contestants looking to tempt fate in the games, celebrate the musical genius of the Squid Game Season 2 cast while admiring the intense acting needed for such a show.

Wi Hajoon (Who Plays Hwang Junho)

As one of the few original Squid Game cast members returning for the second season, Wi Ha-joon will continue his quest as the police officer Hwang Jun-ho, who is desperate to find his missing brother and ultimately wanders into the sadistic games.

Wi attended Sungkyul University in South Korea to major in theatre and film giving him a well-rounded base education for his future stardom. After making his acting debut in a short film in 2012, Wi has scored roles in different movies and television shows with his international breakout via Squid Game.

In 2018, Wi recorded a single for the official soundtrack to Matrimonial Chaos, the award-winning TV series he appeared in that aired that winter. His rock ballad song, “Maybe It’s Too Late,” showcases a sweet and calming tone for the actor.

Lee Byunghun (Who Plays Hwang Inho or “The Front Man”)

Lee Byung-hun is also returning for the second season of Squid Game, with the veteran actor reprising his role as Hwang In-ho, also known as “The Front Man.”

Since starting in Korea in the ’90s, Lee has broken out with roles in Hollywood franchises like G.I. Joe and Terminator and was the first-ever South Korean actor to present an Oscar during the Academy Awards. During his historied career, Lee released a 1999 album titled Lee Byung Hun – To Me, and returned to music with his 2008 single “Itsuka (Someday).”

For the 2009 Korean-drama television series Iris, which became one of the most critically and commercially successful shows of that year, Lee contributed the songs “Stay” and “Endless Road” songs to its official soundtrack that was released in Korea and Japan, even recording “Endless Road” in Japanese for the deluxe box set in the country.

But beyond his music career, Lee is also friendly with some of K-pop’s biggest names.

He co-starred in a music video for PSY when K-pop’s viral king dropped his single “I LUV IT” in 2017 and helped it rack up more than 130 million views to date. Plus, ahead of the second season premiere of Squid Game, Lee sat down to review the new song and music video “Easy Lover” from K-pop legend J.Y. Park (who’s the founder and namesake of JYP Entertainment that houses popular groups like TWICE, Stray Kids and ITZY).

Im Siwan (Who Plays Lee Myunggi or “Contestant 333”)

While Im Siwan is best known for his acting career today, he entered entertainment via the K-pop industry. After three years of training at the Korean agency Star Empire, Siwan debuted as one of nine members of boy band ZE:A in January 2010.

While ZE:A never reached the very top of the Korean music charts, the group released music together for five years, with their highest-charting single coming in 2013’s “The Ghost of the Wind” and, a year later, in June 2014, scored their highest-charting album when First Homme hit No. 2 on Korean Circle Album Chart. “Breathe,” the lead single from First Homme, remains the group’s most-viewed YouTube music video, with nearly 10 million views.

Throughout ZE:A’s career, the members split into different sub-units at various times, with Siwan performing as one of five members in ZE:A FIVE that released their Voulez-Vous EP in March 2013.

While Siwan has never released a full-length solo project, the Busan native has released a few solo singles through the years, with his first substantial collaboration alongside Korean diva Jo Hyunah of R&B trio Urban Zakapa on “Tick Tock” in 2017. In 2023, Siwan took the lead vocals on the track “Fly Your Kite,” which was produced by K-pop folk producer Lee Chanhyuk of AKMU, and also released a duet with Winter of chart-topping girl group aespa titled “Win for You.”

Siwan has also contributed songs to official soundtracks to different Korean dramas, including several he’s starred in, like 2014’s Misaeng: Incomplete Life, 2017’s The King in Love, 2020’s Run On, and 2022’s Tracer. Watch Im Siwan’s “My Heart” music video recorded for King in Love below:

Jo Yuri (Who Plays Kim Junhee or “Contestant 222”)

K-pop fans were delighted to hear one of the scene’s brightest solo stars join the Squid Game cast with Jo Yuri.

The 23-year-old first gained attention as a participant in the 2017 singing competition show Idol School, where the top nine contestants formed the girl group called fromis_9. While she placed 15th and missed the final lineup, a year later she competed on another survival show, Produce 48, where she earned a third-place place finish among nearly 100 contestants to earn a spot in the newly formed group IZ*ONE and promote with her 11 members for three years.

After her time with IZ*ONE ended, Jo Yuri quickly moved into her solo career, juggling singing, acting, and hosting.

To date, she’s released four solo records and several singles, including three Top 10 albums, sending both 2021’s Glassy and Op.22 Y-Walt released in 2022, to No. 5 on the Korean Circle Album Chart—the title track off the former earning more than 16 million views on its official video via YouTube.

Choi Seunghyun (Who Plays “Thanos” or “Contestant 230”)

Even if the name Choi Seunghyun isn’t instantly recognizable to K-pop fans, they certainly know this superstar for his time in the generation-defining boy band BIGBANG where he went by the stage name T.O.P.

Choi started in music as an underground rapper, but eventually joined the major Korean label YG Entertainment (the same label as BLACKPINK) and debuted as a rapper in BIGBANG in 2006. The group topped the charts together for more than a decade, and Choi released successful solo singles like the Top 2 Korean hit “Turn It Up” in 2010, plus “Doom Dada,” which hit No. 4 in 2013 and entered Billboard’s U.S.-based World Digital Songs chart at No. 3.

During his time with BIGBANG, T.O.P contributed heavily to the group’s lyrics and compositions, even helping co-write and co-compose the group’s 2022 single “Still Life,” which ultimately signaled his goodbye from the group. Choi even teamed up with BIGBANG’s leader G-Dragon for a duo album called GD & TOP, that featured production by Diplo and Teddy, and collaborated with a slew of major names including Major Lazer, Bruno Mars, Pixie Lott, Park Bom of 2NE1 and more.

In early 2022, YG Entertainment revealed that T.O.P had ended his contract with the label. A year later, in May 2023, T.O.P shared that he had withdrawn from the group, signaling his focus towards other ventures like acting, as well as art collecting and even a potential spaceflight aboard the SpaceX Starship (which was ultimately canceled).

Kang Haneul (Who Plays Daeho or “Contestant 388”)

A top Korean actor with a massive list of credits, Kang Haneul never officially launched a music career but has more than a decade’s experience performing in musicals (including local productions of famous plays like Spring Awakening and Assassins), starring in music videos (like Fly to the Sky’s 2007 single “Still Pretty Today” and “Lost One” by Epik High in 2017), recording songs for the soundtracks to his different TV and film projects (like the song “Self-Portrait,” below, for the period film Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet that he starred in).

Park Sunghoon (Who Plays Hyunju or “Contestant 120”)

While Park Sunghoon has become more famous for his villain roles in recent K-dramas like The Glory and Queen of Tears, the actor also has more than a decade of theater and musical experience.

The 2020 television series Memorials was not just significant in marking his first lead role, but his first musical release with the single “Our Memories in Summer” alongside the series co-star Nana, who broke into entertainment as a member of the girl group After School and its splinter group Orange Caramel.

Gong Yoo (Who Plays a Salesman Recruiting Participants for Squid Game)

For those who can’t enough of the veteran actor (also returning from the first season), check out his song “Because It’s You,” recorded for the official soundtrack to Big, the 2012 Korean drama he starred in or watch him star in the music video for “How I Am” by singer-songwriter Kim Dongryul.

Park Gyuyoung (Who Plays Noeul in Squid Game Season 2)

Initially scouted by top K-pop agency JYP Entertainment, Park Gyuyoung’s music experiences primarily focus on music video appearances. The 31-year-old has starred in videos for K-pop stars like DAY6 (helping the band earn more than 18 million views on its official music video for “I Like You”), Urban Zakapa (appearing in both their “You’re the Reason” and “As I Wished” videos) and Jo Kwon (in “Crossroads” that has 1.5 million views).

As of press time, Park’s most recent music video work was with Yesung of Super Junior in the 2021 single “Beautiful Night,” which has nearly two million views on YouTube.