Cho Hyun-ju, aka Player 120, has quickly become the new fan favorite character of Squid Game Season 2, but you might not know that she appears to be inspired by a shocking true story.
Portrayed by actor Park Sung-hoon, Hyun-ju is one of 456 new players joining the deadly competition, but her reasoning isn’t due to debt. As a trans woman, she needs the cash to seek gender-affirming surgery and move to Thailand after her family rejected her.
She soon becomes allies with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and co. in Squid Game Season 2, proving to be a courageous fighter whose story opens up important conversations about acceptance and understanding.
Her past experience as a sergeant first class in the ROK Special Forces is put to great use in the Season 2 finale, and it’s this detail that adds to the idea that Hyun-ju is based on a real-life person. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
The true story of Byun Hui-su
Although creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is yet to confirm this, Cho Hyun-ju appears to have been inspired by Byun Hui-su, the first known transgender soldier in South Korea.
After suffering from gender dysphoria, Hui-su went to Thailand to undergo gender reassignment surgery in 2019.
However, despite fighting to maintain her ranking of staff sergeant and reenter in the female corps, Hui-su was discharged in January 2020.
The South Korean army subsequently denied her request for reinstatement in July that same year, classifying her loss of male genitals as a “mental or physical handicap.”
The incident sparked a wider conversation about LGBTQ+ rights and the limited protection for the community in South Korea.
Following the military’s initial decision, Hui-su said in a press conference in Seoul (via Reuters): “I will continue to fight until the day I can remain to serve in the army. I’ll challenge the decision until the end, to the Supreme Court.”
“It was an extremely difficult decision to let my base know of my identity, but once I did, I felt much better,” she continued.
“I thought I would finish serving in the army and then go through the transition surgery and then reenter the army as a female soldier. But my depression got too severe.
“Apart from my gender identity, I want to show everyone that I can also be one of the great soldiers who protect this country.”
South Korea's first openly transgender soldier was found dead in her home. Her cause of death is unknown.Byun Hui-su was 23.She was dismissed after her gender-affirming surgery because South Korea bans trans people from the military. She had been fighting to be reinstated. pic.twitter.com/rWXuwVmPvX
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 3, 2021
While the case continued, Hui-su was found dead in her home in March 2021, aged just 22. According to The Korea Times, her death was reported as suicide.
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Seven months after her passing, a South Korean court ruled that the military unlawfully discriminated against a transgender soldier, requesting that it reverse the dismissal and recognize Hui-su’s legal status as a woman.
It wasn’t until a panel was held in April 2024 that it was ruled she had died in the line of duty, paving the way for Hui-su to be buried in a national cemetery.
Squid Game Season 2 viewers spot similarities to Cho Hyun-ju
A number of viewers have noticed the parallels between Byun Hui-su’s story and that of Cho Hyun-ju in Squid Game Season 2. Like Hui-su, Player 120 was discharged from the army after coming out as a woman.
“I saw a lot of interest in Hyun-ju who was a fantastic character addition to the series. While watching the series and learning about Hyun-ju’s background, I couldn’t help but think of an individual called Byun Hui-su,” said one on Reddit.
They continued, “While Hyunju’s character may have been written without this in mind, I found the overlapping story too much to be mere coincidence.”
Another spoke about the fact that Dong-hyuk was unable to find a trans actress in South Korea due to attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community.
“The show’s creator said he couldn’t find a trans Korean actress who was openly out to play this role and like many people I initially thought that was BS,” they wrote.
“However I have Googled it and fair enough I’m searching in English but I can’t seem to find anyone except someone who is in her late 50s.”
“I don’t know about you but the vibe I got from the show that trans people don’t have it the best in South Korea,” said another.
A third added, “Yep. There was a highly publicized incident a few years ago where Byun Hui-su, a soldier who had undergone sex reassignment surgery to become female and was South Korea’s FIRST transgender soldier, was repeatedly rejected and discharged from the army despite her numerous attempts to join.
“This is massive considering that while most try to avoid the army, she did everything to join and serve her country.”
Squid Game Season 2 is streaming on Netflix now. You can also read about Squid Game Season 2’s post-credits scene, the change to Player 001, and our ranking of every Squid Game challenge.