Netflix on Feb. 1 announced its release of Season 2 of "Squid Game" this year and posted for the first time scenes from the upcoming season on Next on Netflix, a website with trailers for the streaming platform's upcoming works this year. (Netflix's official Facebook)

By Israa Mohamed

Stills from Season 2 of "Squid Game," a hit Netflix series that took the world by storm after debuting in 2021, have been released for the first time. 

Netflix on Feb. 1 announced that the second season will air this year and showed for the first time scenes from the upcoming season on Next on Netflix, a website with trailers for the streaming platform's upcoming works this year.

The thriller is about people who risk their lives to play games of extreme survival, with the last person standing to win KRW 45.6 billion.

The upcoming season is about protagonist Seong Gi-hoon (played by actor Lee Jung-jae) giving up his plans to go to the U.S. and returning to fulfill his goal.

The released scenes show the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) who oversees the competition and the salesman (Gong Yoo) who recruits players from the first season, as well as a new character played by Park Gyu-young.

Series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote, produced and directed the second season. In 2022, "Squid Game" earned him the distinction of the first Asian to win Outstanding Director for a Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards of the U.S.

Season 2 will have actors from the first season such as Lee, Wi Ha-joon and Gong reprise their roles while featuring various newcomers played by Yim Si-wan, Kang Haneul and Lee Jin-wook.

ess8@korea.kr