One of the most memorable characters in Netflix's Korean drama series Squid Game is North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok a.k.a. player 067, but who plays them? Squid Game, which released on Netflix on September 21, 2021, puts hundreds of highly desperate and indebted people against each other in a series of playground games for children. In each game, the price for losing is death. The series echoes familiar themes of other survival dramas within the genre, such as The Hunger Games and Battle Royale.
In Squid Game, player 067 is Kang Sae-byeok; resilient and resourceful, she is the ultimate survivor for many. Sae-byeok and her younger brother Cheol made it out of North Korea but had to leave their mother behind. Her brother Choel is currently in an orphanage because Sae-byeok can't support them both. If she wins, she plans to use the money to buy a house for her family and get her mother out of North Korea.
The person who plays 067 in Squid Game is 27-year-old South Korean model HoYeon Jung. Prior to the Netflix Korean Drama, Jung was dubbed "Korea's next top model" [via Vogue] after coming second on the Korean incarnation of America's Next Top Model. Since appearing on the show, Jung has featured on the cover of magazines like Vogue Korea, Vogue Japan, CR Fashion Book, and Harper's Bazar Korea. She has also appeared for designers such as Tory Burch, Prabal Gurung, Jeremy Scott, and Roberto Cavalli. Jung is represented by Elite Models and Nomad Management and has over 2.5 million followers on her Instagram account.
Squid Game is Jung's debut as an actor. Speaking to W Korea, she revealed that she landed the part in Squid Game's cast only a month after joining a new acting agency. The agency's CEO asked her to create a video for her audition – at the time, she was in New York for New York Fashion Week. Jung said that the experience was initially quite daunting for her, as she wasn't sure why a director would choose her. "I remember how I spent all my time reading the script apart from when I ate food. I sent the video in, and the director contacted me, asking me to meet in person. So I dropped everything and flew in right away," Jung said.
Despite not being cast as the main character, Jung's stellar performance helped turn Sae-byeok into one of its most beloved characters. That's all the more admirable given it's her first acting job and, while she doesn't have any further roles lined up at the time of writing (and Squid Game season 2 is yet to be confirmed), suggests she should have a bright future as an actress. For now, Netflix subscribers can still see Jung in Squid Game as it continues streaming on Netflix.