Squid Game’s Park Sung-hoon drops out of K-drama after bizarre controversy

Park Sung-hoon – who plays fan favorite Squid Game Season 2 character Cho Hyun-ju, aka Player 120 – has been embroiled in a bizarre controversy in South Korea, leading to him dropping out of an anticipated upcoming K-drama. 

It’s been a few weeks since Squid Game Season 2 dropped on Netflix but there’s still plenty of chat about Player 120. Not only did she win the hearts of fans with her vulnerability, but she also knows her way around a gun, proving invaluable in Gi-hun’s master plan. 

Despite earning widespread praise for his performance, Sung-hoon came under fire in South Korea – where pornography is illegal – after accidentally sharing the DVD cover art for an adult movie Squid Game parody.

The actor quickly deleted it and issued an apology through his management agency BH Entertainment. The criticism appeared to have died down, but now the mistake has led to real-life consequences for Sung-hoon.

Squid Game star drops out of K-drama after backlash

Netflix

Park Sung-hoon has dropped out of the cast of the upcoming K-drama The Tyrant’s Chef following the backlash, with production company Studio Dragon confirming the news in a statement. 

“After extensive discussions between the production team and Park Sung-hoon, it was decided that he would not participate in this project.” it said (via Korea Times). 

“Both Park Sung-hoon and his agency have issued multiple apologies regarding the recent incident. After careful deliberation, the production team and the actor decided to go their separate ways.”

The news will no doubt be a blow to the Squid Game star, who had previously been cast in the lead role of the upcoming TV show alongside idol and actress YoonA.

The Tyrant’s Chef is a tvN fantasy romance drama about a chef who travels through time and encounters a royal tyrant, but one who knows his food.

An insider told Sports Chosun that Hierarchy star Lee Chae-min is in talks to take over Sung-hoon’s role, although this is yet to be confirmed by producers. 

Park Sung-hoon news receives mixed response

The news has been met with confusion, especially after Sung-hoon’s agency explained at the time that the pornographic image was “accidentally” shared after he “received in a direct message” and “mistakenly pressed the wrong button.”

As said by one on Reddit, “It is the first time that he will be the main lead. He was always the antagonist. That is so unfortunate.” Another wrote, “What controversy? It was a silly mistake. Who cares? People are ridiculous.”

A third added, “Oh dear. Feel sorry for him. Hope the controversy doesn’t impact his role in Season 3. (Or anything else). He’s a fantastic actor and my fave from S2.”

However, one fan pointed out, “Distributing pornography is generally considered illegal in South Korea. While people may watch such content online, if a public figure shares it, it could lead to criminal issues.”

Another commented, “Koreans believe that celebrities should be held to a higher standard when it comes to their behavior and public statements.”

Some fans have compared the situation to Thanos star T.O.P (real name Choi Seung-hyun), who took a nine-year break from the limelight after being involved in a marijuana scandal. 

“Even a minor incident like this can completely bury your career and cause your social circle to disappear overnight,” said one.

Squid Game Season 3 is set to drop in 2025. You can read about the characters most likely to die, why Mingle is the most upsetting game, and our ranking of the Squid Game challenges.