BY: Walker
Published 3 years ago
As Squid Game continues to be a record-breaking international phenomenon, the Netflix series‘ anti-capitalist messaging is spurring real-world action thanks to a recent protest in South Korea. According to reports, over 27,000 people took to the streets in Seoul, where members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions donned Squid Game costumes as they rallied for improved working conditions.
via: CBS News
“Squid Game,” one of Netflix’s most popular shows ever, is about hundreds of cash-strapped South Koreans lured into competing in series of simple games for a massive cash prize, but the penalty for losing any of the six stages is an instant and brutal death. It was inspired by the conditions for normal South Koreans following the global economic collapse in 2008.
The main character is the series, Seong Gi-Hun, is autoworker who lost his job when the company he spent years working for went bust. His flashbacks draw stark parallels to the real-life 2009 bankruptcy of the Ssangyong automaker, and the subsequent violent crackdown on laid-off employees who occupied its factory, demanding their jobs back.
Foreign viewers may be surprised by the extent to which the dramatic narrative has resonated so strongly with South Koreans, who face daily challenges in a highly competitive society that many believe values hard work and personal sacrifice over well-being.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) made that, and “Squid Game,” their central theme in organizing the rallies on Wednesday. The group even produced a “Squid Game”-style promotional video for social media featuring South Korean workers, or actors portraying them, touting support for the various labor unions and calling for government help.
Despite a COVID-19 restriction banning gatherings of more than 99 people, the police estimated that about 16,000 people joined the demonstrations across the country on Wednesday, the largest one being in the capital.
KCTU called the general protest action “the first step towards overcoming inequality in the world.”
Created by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk, who struggled for a decade to sell the series because network execs found the scenarios “too implausible,” Squid Game became an international hit after Netflix took a gamble, which paid off huge. It also didn’t hurt that Donald Trump became president, which sadly, made the show’s dark conditions more realistic.
Several union workers dressed in #SquidGames outfit take part in a rally in #Seoul, saying just like in the movie they too are struggling to make a living. They called on the government to improve workers’ rights. Some reports say about 30,000 took part in the rally. pic.twitter.com/tus8vj9KeG
— LIM Yun Suk (@yunsukCNA) October 20, 2021