Squid Game Season 2 has been trending on internet, with audience waiting to see Gi-Hun once again diving into the mysterious survival game and saving innocent lives. When the first season of this Netflix show was released on OTT in 2021, it created a storm. Though many appreciated it for fresh concept and brutal portrayal of economic inequality leading to desperation; it was hard for audience to imagine that people would undergo tremendous pain (and death ultimately) only for the sake of money.

But what if we tell you that this show – full of thriller, violence, and horror – was actually inspired by a real-life event that resulted in the death of 30 workers?

Real-Life Events That Inspired Squid Game

In an interview with AFP, the creator of Squid Game Hwang Dong-Hyuk, explained the inspiration for this fictional series that came from the horrific historical events of the 2009 SsangYong strike, wherein he elaborates on its real-life violence and struggles that inspired him to create this show. The strike took place in May 2009, SsangYong Motor, a major car manufacturer in South Korea, unexpectedly laid off 2600 workers due to financial instabilities.

This decision led to dramatic repercussions of a massive and violent strike of 77 days. The agenda of the workers’ strike was to get their jobs back, but the police responded with brutal force that led to serious injuries to workers. The South Korean police were armed with rubber bullets and clashed with workers, who responded to the force with steel pipes and slingshots.

Aftermath Of The SsangYong Strike

The clash resulted in severely injured workers, arrested union members, and several workers suffering from long-term physical as well as mental trauma. The strike had a long-lasting effect on workers as they had to face legal battles and financial and emotional deprivation. Around 30 workers took their own lives due to the ongoing battles and the unbearable pain of the aftermath.

Lee Chang-Kun, one of the union leaders elaborated on his experience of the aftermath of the strike wherein, he recalled how rigorously they endured suffering. Lee also mentioned that he spent 100 days on top of a factory chimney, where he was provided with food through rope, whilst protesting a court who favored SsangYong. After the series was released, the union leaders and supporters of the protest who watched the series could see the parallel between their struggles and the fictional series of Squid Game.