March16 , 2025

The Squid Game: From Tragedy to Cult

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After the popular Korean drama “The Squid Gamehit the screens on Netflix, many users started arguing whether the movie was based on real events. Accusations centred on the locations and photo ‘evidence’ confirming the claims.

TV-Show Background 

In 2021, the Squid Game series gained immense popularity, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. This survival thriller takes viewers into a world where a group of people participate in deadly challenges based on childhood games… all for the chance to win a huge sum of money. 

Creator’s Response to the Images 

After the premiere of the second season, speculation began to circulate on social media that the plot was based on real events. People shared images on Tik Tok and Instagram, which they said confirmed the existence of such games.

However, the creator of the show, Hwang Dong Hyuk, himself denied these rumours, saying that the photos were generated through AI and that he himself got the ideas from his head. In an interview, Hwang Dong Hyuk told in detail about where he got the ideas for his script and how the show was created.

“The Squid Game” is not just about struggle. It is a story about people who, despite despair, retain their humanity.

Real-World Reflections on Inequality

“Squid Game” is inspired by traditional Korean games, and its dark plot is entirely fictional. It is an allegory created to show how cutthroat competition and inequality permeate every aspect of our lives.

Hwang Dong-hyuk manages to turn simple childhood games into a powerful metaphor for modern society, but none of the games in the series have a real-life counterpart.

Discussion in Other Countries

Meanwhile, in Russia, The Squid Game has also come under close scrutiny. State Duma deputy Yevgeny Marchenko proposed banning series that contain scenes of violence, saying that such works can cause serious harm to the mental health of children.

The series is also officially banned in North Korea. The country’s authorities criticise it for its depiction of a capitalist society and believe that it undermines local ideological foundations. In other countries, such as Spain, authorities have not imposed official bans on the series, but have called on parents to monitor their children so that they do not watch The Squid Game due to its violent content.

Despite numerous rumours and speculation, the creator of “Squid Game”, Hwang Dong Hyuk, confirmed that the plot is completely fictional and not based on real events. The photos that caused the discussions were found to be generated. The series remains an metaphor for modern social issues, and any claims that it is based on reality are false.

Stay tuned to Daily Euro Times for the latest insights!

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Author

  • Kristina Shuina

    Writer for the Daily Euro Times. Kristina is an experienced journalist with a diverse background in media and public relations, spanning both local and international markets. Kristina has worked internationally, as a PR specialist for a New York-based company, and as a volunteer journalist in Iceland producing documentaries and publishing her own book. Currently, Kristina conducts interviews and script content for Sci-Tech Suisse in Switzerland whilst writing for the Daily Euro Times.

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