Fans aren’t sure how to feel about Squid Game 2’s trans representation: ‘Does nothing for anyone’

The much-anticipated second season of Squid Game has dropped, and fans are seriously divided over trans character Hyun-Ji, played by cisgender male actor Park Sung-Hoon.

Warning: Spoilers for Squid Game season 2 ahead!!!

The beloved South Korean thriller, which returned after three years on Thursday (26 December), came back with a bang as fans saw Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-Jae, return to the deadly competition.

The new season features plenty of fresh faces bravely (or, perhaps, stupidly) competing for the cash prize, including Hyun-Ji (Park Sung-Hoon), a trans character who aims to win the games to pay for her gender-reassignment surgery.

The inclusion of the character has caused mixed reactions among LGBTQ+ fans, some of whom have commended the series for a “well-written” portrayal of a trans woman, while others have questioned whether a cis man is fit for the role.

“Squid Game 2 is surprisingly good but did they HAVE to cast a cis guy to play a (clockable) trans woman,” one user wrote.

“Could they not cast an actual transgender woman… This is gonna p**s me off,” another wrote.

Outside of the frustration that the role was given to a cisgender actor, others complained that the role itself seemed a bit lacking and could have been done better.

“The trans character in Squid Game gets so little to do lol,” one complainant wrote. “For the first four episodes she just kind of walks around quietly while other characters make jabs at her. It’s the kind of mealy-mouthed ‘representation’ that does nothing for anyone other than check off a box.”

THE TRANS CHARACTER IN SQUID GAME IS SURPRISINGLY WELL WRITTEN???

— ꩜🏳️‍⚧️ (@hyxkkimxru) December 26, 2024

However, others completely disagreed, arguing that Hyun-Ji is “surprisingly” well-written.

“It’s the way this show put an old woman, a pregnant woman, and a trans woman together and outright said they are all valid as women moved me to tears,” one user wrote. “Holy f***ing shit.”

Another person agreed, saying: “Watching the new season of Squid Game and I absolutely adore the trans character, the writers wrote her with so much love and care.”

Earlier in December, Squid Game director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk defended the controversial decision to cast Park Sung-Hoon as a trans woman in season 2 of the hit Netflix show.

Speaking to TV Guide, he revealed why casting a trans woman would’ve been difficult in South Korea. 

“I did anticipate such discussions to arise from the first moment I began creating the character,” he said. “In the beginning we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor.

“When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors [who] are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in Korean society the LGBTQ+ community is still marginalised and more neglected, which is heart-breaking.”

Squid Game season 2 is streaming on Netflix now.