"Squid Game" makers shocked by copycats in schools!

By Thomas Bremser

Seoul (South Korea) - In the South Korean streaming hit "Squid Game", adults with high debts have to take part in harmless-looking children's games. But those who lose are killed on the spot.

Shortly after the start of the first season in 2021, schools in several countries raised the alarm: children and young people were re-enacting the series during the break and slapping the losers.

"I was shocked when I heard about these events. Especially because it's not a series for children," series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk (53) told the German Press Agency. "I didn't expect children and teenagers to watch the series. That shocked me and worried me."

The Bavarian Teachers' Association (BLLV) reported incidents in the school playground at the time. These had taken on a new quality and were causing a stir. Schools in the UK also warned about the series, according to the BBC.

"I can only ask parents to talk to their children seriously before the second and third seasons and make it clear to them that this series is not for them," Hwang continued. "If for some reason they do watch clips, adults should explain the context of the violence to them."

According to the makers, the brutality in the series is symbolic of a capitalist society for which only performance counts and which leaves its losers alone with worries and hardships.

"The message we actually want to convey with 'Squid Game' is not to use violence and that the strong and the weak should live together in harmony," lead actor Lee Jung-Jae told dpa. He plays "456", the winner from the first season.

Children and young people who use the children's games from the series for violence would do exactly the opposite. "So I would advise these people to watch 'Squid Game' again and realize what the series is really about."

The second season of the hit series can be seen on Netflix from December 26. The streaming service recommends watching the seven episodes from the age of 16.