Growing Up in a Poor Family, Hwang Dong Hyuk, Creator of SQUID GAME, Becomes an Influential Figure in the Entertainment Industry

Kapanlagi.com - Released on December 26, 2024, fans can finally witness the thrilling adventures in SQUID GAME 2. The series, which airs on Netflix, is written and directed by Hwang Dong Hyuk. It is known that the brilliant idea for the script of this series actually came from difficult times in his life?

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter on Friday (27/12/2024), Hwang Dong Hyuk experienced a low point in his career. The film project he dreamed of failed to secure funding. In his late 30s, he found himself in quite a sad financial struggle.

What is the story of Hwang Dong Hyuk, the creator of SQUID GAME, who grew up in a poor family? Check out the complete information below.

1. Interested in the Issue of Economic Inequality

Hwang Dong Hyuk (Credit: AFP/Jung Yeon-je)

In a state of despair, Hwang Dong Hyuk often spent time in comic cafes, inspired by manga about battle royales, and imagined how such competition could be a way out of his life's difficulties.

Hwang's interest in the issue of economic inequality began long before. A tragic event struck his family when his father, a journalist, passed away from stomach cancer. This event occurred when Hwang was only 5 years old, drastically changing their lives.

His mother had to work hard at various odd jobs to support Hwang, his brother, and their grandmother.

"Even though my mother worked very hard, we lived very poorly for a very long time," said the 53-year-old man.

2. The Family's Hope

Hwang, who feels like the family's hope, is determined to be a good student. His mother hopes he can get into a prestigious university, land a good job, and lift his family out of hardship.

"As far as I remember, I was the family's hope. Because I am a good student, my mother hopes I will get into a prestigious university, get a great job, earn a lot of money, and lift our family up from the bottom," continued Hwang Dong Hyuk.

This life experience inspired him to create the character Sang Woo (Park Hae Soo) in the first season of SQUID GAME. Sang Woo, Gi Hun's childhood friend, is the 'golden child' in their working-class environment who is forced to enter the deadly game due to his investment failures.

3. Studying at Seoul National University

Hwang Dong Hyuk (Credit: AFP/Jung Yeon-je)

Hwang's perseverance got him accepted into Seoul National University, one of the most prestigious universities in Korea. This is where his life took a turning point. Hwang began to think critically and question the purpose of his life.

Hwang then shifted from the desire to get a good job and earn money, to being more interested in the social injustices around him.

"I started to think, 'Why am I living just to think about that goal?' Eventually, I became less interested in getting a good job and making money, and more interested in why the world is so drastically divided between those who have and those who do not have. Why, even though my mother worked long hours at various jobs, did we still have to live like this?" he recalled.

4. Hwang Dong Hyuk's Education

A deep social awareness drove Hwang Dong Hyuk to join the leftist student movement at the university and pursue the world of filmmaking. In 2000, he stepped into the United States to study at USC's film school, where his thesis short film about a Korean woman searching for her adopted brother in the U.S. won the DGA Student Award and a Student Emmy.

After earning his MFA, Hwang settled in Los Angeles for two years, working at a company that adapted foreign content for local audiences. During six years as an expatriate, he was both fascinated and shaken by the sharp social stratification and class differences in the country.

"If I went to a wealthier area, everything looked so clean, the houses were beautiful, and it was usually a predominantly white neighborhood," he recalled.

"But around my school, there were many homeless people, a lot of theft, and the population was mostly non-white. While it is clear that we have a wealth gap in Korea, we do not have racial diversity. In L.A., it feels like there is a very large invisible fence between these different populations," he continued.

5. First Success in Filmmaking

SQUID GAME 2 Poster (Credit: Mydramalist)

After returning to Korea, Hwang achieved brilliant success with his second film, SILENCED (2011). This film is inspired by a true story about systematic sexual abuse that occurred at a school for deaf children.

Although this case initially went largely unnoticed by the media, the film, which became a box office phenomenon, succeeded in stirring public outrage, prompting the National Assembly to pass a law called the Dogani Law, which eliminated the statute of limitations for legal claims and increased penalties for perpetrators of sexual crimes against children and individuals with disabilities.

As time went on, Hwang once again demonstrated his remarkable influence through SQUID GAME in 2021, although he realized that this great success might have more commercial impact. There is also the value of impact for Netflix, which is now adapting the IP into various formats, ranging from unscripted competition series to video games.

6. The Success of SQUID GAME and Its Impact

Amidst many questions about whether the adaptation of the reality show will blur the essence and deep messages of the series, Hwang Dong Hyuk firmly explained,

"As a content creator in a capitalist society, ultimately, everything we create is a product. My main goal is to create something entertaining for the audience and commercially successful for myself and the investors. Squid Game is not something made with government funding to educate the public."

"However, even so, as a creator, I always want the products I create to have value. I want the work to give you something to think about, to help you ask questions. This series contains every emotion I have ever felt regarding my views on humanity and the world, all the elements of tragedy and comedy in life. It's all there," he concluded.

(kpl/ans)