Squid Game Season 2: Who Is Jung-bae?

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Squid Game season 2, now streaming on Netflix.

Squid Game brings back several characters in its second season. Protagonists like Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) are two obvious returning characters. However, other characters play a more significant role in season 2 than they did in Squid Game’s premiere season.

Park Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), who served as a minor character in the past, is a vital supporting character in Squid Game 2. Gi-hun reunites with his former gambling buddy at the onset of the 2024 Squid Games, forming a fast alliance. Season 2 shares several details about Jung-bae, revealing a more complex character than the racetrack mainstay viewers met in Season 1.

Related

7 Best TV Series To Watch If You Love Squid Game, Ranked

Whether it is reality TV or fictional, these shows are highly recommended for viewers who loved Squid Game.

Jung-bae First Appeared in Squid Game’s Pilot

Viewers first met Jung-bae in season 1, episode 1, “Red Light, Green Light.” The pair spend the day at an Off-Track-Betting shop. After Gi-hun rakes in a large win, the two abruptly depart as Gi-hun evades loan sharks he owes money to.

Jung-bae makes his last season 1 appearance in episode 2, “Hell.” After the 2020 Squid Game competitors vote to leave the game, Gi-hun returns home broke as ever. In a desperate attempt for cash, Gi-hun visits Jung-bae at Healing Pub, a hole-in-the-wall bar he co-owns with his wife. After Gi-hun asks Jung-bae for a three million-won loan, his friend refuses, and the two part ways.

Jung-bae Reunites With Gi-Hun in Season 2

Gi-hun (and Squid Game’s many fans) did not seen Jung-bae again for three years. However, the pair reunited at the commencement of the 2024 Squid Games in season 2. While Jung-bae has his issues, he is a reliable teammate and trustworthy friend.

Jung-bae Went Through Several Changes

Gi-hun gets a massive surprise upon starting the 2024 Squid Games. While proceeding through the Esher-esque staircases to the “Red Light, Green Light” field, he gets tailed by Jung-bae, who had assumed that he was dead. The two catch up, and viewers learn that Jung-bae’s life took several unfortunate turns. His wife divorced him, and she gained full custody of their child. He is also so deep in debt to creditors that even 20 million won wouldn’t cover his interest.

A Veteran Marine

Jung-bae may come off as a deadbeat in season 2. However, viewers soon learn that this perceived oaf is full of surprises. One such surprise is that the man is a veteran. In season 2, episode 4, “Six Legs,” a young, energetic player named Kang Dae-ho (portrayed by Kang Ha-neul) approaches Gi-hun admiringly. Jung-bae, sitting beside Gi-hun, notices a tattoo on Dae-ho’s bicep. He asks Dae-ho about his tattoo and learns that the spirited chap served in the Korean Marines. Then, to Dae-ho’s astonishment, Jung-bae lifts his t-shirt sleeve and reveals an identical tattoo.

Related

Squid Game Could Be Removed From Netflix In One Country

Squid Game Season 2 received an intense backlash in one of South Korea’s neighboring countries.

Jung-bae’s Death in the Season 2 Finale

Over the next two games, Jung-bae allies himself with Gi-hun, Dae-ho, Oh Young-il (secretly Hwang In-ho), and other well-meaning players who wish to end the Squid Games. However, one unfortunate event places a target on his head. During a final stand-off, the soldier gets killed by the malevolent Front Man.

Jung-bae Sees Something He’s Not Supposed To

Jung-bae’s story arc takes a dramatic turn in season 2, episode 6, “O X,” during the final round of Mingle, a game that tasks players with forming teams of a specific number. Then, said teams must claim a vacant room or get eliminated. Mingle’s final round requires players to group into pairs, and there are not enough rooms to accommodate every pair. Elimination (death) is inevitable for several players. Fortunately, Jung-bae and Young-il quickly find a room to claim. However, an unexpected guest bumps their room count to three. To avoid elimination, Young-il coldly snaps the third player’s neck.

Witnessing Young-il’s murder of a fellow contestant does not sit well with Jung-bae. He attempts to warn Gi-hun and Dae-ho of Young-il’s behavior. However, after Young-il delivers a pivotal vote for the X’s (those who wish to end the games), Jung-bae decides to keep his concerns to himself.

In-Ho Kills Jung-Bae to Punish Gi-Hun

Later that evening, Gi-hun and his allies plan to stage a rebellion during lights out. Several key players join him, including Dae-ho, army vet Cho Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), and Jung-bae. Once the guards enter the living quarters to quell the brawling X’s and O’s, the revolutionaries ambush them and steal their weapons.

The revolutionary team makes significant progress, fending off many pink-suited soldiers on their way to the Front Man’s lair. Unfortunately, they unknowingly have a traitor among them (Young-il, otherwise known as In-ho, the Front Man himself). During a pivotal moment, In-ho departs his team, and the guards subdue the rebels.

In-ho returns in his Front Man garb and confronts Gi-hun. One would assume In-ho would snuff out Gi-hun, ending the rebel’s exploits once and for all. Instead, he turns his gun on Jung-bae, killing Gi-hun’s closest friend in the game. However, before he pulls the trigger, In-ho scolds Gi-hun with a chilling statement:

Release Date

September 17, 2021

Cast

Wi Ha-joon
, Anupam Tripathi
, Oh Yeong-su
, Heo Sung-tae
, Park Hae-soo
, Jung Ho-yeon
, Lee Jung-jae
, Kim Joo-ryoung

Writers

Hwang Dong-hyuk

Directors

Hwang Dong-hyuk