Squid Game spoilers follow.
In real life, the only Squid Game losers are those who are missing out on Netflix's deadly new show. But within the story itself, almost everyone we grow to love meets an untimely end. Only one player can emerge victorious, after all, and while we're happy Gi-hun is the one who lives to fight another day, his win came at the cost of 455 other lives (except for one particularly sneaky player who survived a year longer).
Out of all these losses, the death of Kang Sae-byeok hits the hardest for many thanks to Jung Ho-yeon's breakout performance and the character's heartbreaking backstory. Initially introduced as a pickpocket, Number 067 joins the game to help her family, and over time, we discover that she's actually a North Korean defector who needs the cash to reunite her family following a dangerous border crossing where the father died and the mother was captured.
In an interview with W Korea, Jung explained that she "watched a lot of documentaries about North Korean defectors" to prepare and she also practiced speaking in a North Korean accent with a teacher who helped her to study for the role.
However, what most non-Korean speakers might not realise is that Jung doesn't simply stick to a North Korean accent throughout the show. Instead, Sae-byeok actively tries to hide it when she's around other South Korean players. It's only when she talks to her brother that traces of her original North Korean accent slip through.
Full credit for this observation goes to Redditor soyfox and comedian/podcaster Youngmi Mayer, both of whom discuss this more here and here. Other Squid Game fans soon picked up on this too, including avid viewers of Crash Landing On You, another popular K-drama set almost entirely in North Korea.
But why would Sae-byeok hide her North Korean accent in the first place? Redditor soyfox suggests most defectors adapt to South Korean speech and mannerisms to avoid unwanted questions and even discrimination, something which Nextshark writer Grace Kim expands on further in her article right here.
This tracks within the context of the show as well. More than once, Sae-byeok is subjected to unkind remarks about her heritage β for example, when Jang Deok-su calls her a "spy" and "communist". And that's even when she's trying to hide her accent.
In a 2018 paper for Psychology International, APA's Jeea Yang collated a number of studies that explored the various mental health problems that North Korean defectors face following their resettlement, often in the face of extreme negative stereotypes. The paper cites 2014 research from the Korea Hana Foundation that found 58.4% of young defectors were reluctant to even admit their North Korean origins when asked.
With all this in mind, it's even more painful to see that Sae-byeok only feels safe enough to use her real accent around her younger brother. It's only with family that Sae-byeok can truly be herself, and that's exactly why she chooses to rejoin the game β to create a better life for those closest to her.
While a glass shard (and Cho Sang-woo) soon puts an end to that dream, Gi-hun uses the money he won to take Sae-byeok's brother out of the orphanage and unite him with Cho's mother (who just lost her own son to the game).
It's a somewhat uplifting end to Sae-byeok's story, at least in comparison to how the other players fared. Let's just hope her mother finds a way to escape and eventually be reunited with her son in South Korea. Or better yet, Sae-byeok's brother could grow up to seek revenge on the creators of Squid Game and avenge his sister's death in a future season...
Squid Game is now available to watch on Netflix.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more β not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
