Actor Lee Jung-jae expressed his regret about the current state of the Korean content market.

On the 2nd, Lee Jung-jae met with Donga.com for an interview for the Netflix series ‘Squid Game Season 2 (hereafter referred to as Squid Game 2)’ at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and talked about the work.

On this day, Lee Jung-jae recalled filming ‘Squid Game 2’, explaining, “I had to show Ki-hoon‘s changing appearance physically, and I wanted the appearance to be felt not through emotional expressions but also through physicality, so it was physically and mentally difficult to control myself while doing it. It was a 10-month period where I had no choice but to film through self-restraint beyond abstinence.”.

Regarding the fact that frontman actor Lee Byung-hun would personally participate in the game, Lee Jung-jae said, “I didn’t know you‘d see it frame by frame. I thought Aiko made a mistake. I heard that the cut with Byung-hun hyung was in the trailer and that the person who made it didn’t know it was a mistake. The fact that there is that much interest and that they are analyzing it frame by frame means that there is that much interest, so they are just passing it over as a happening.“



Lee Jung-jae also opened up about the unfortunate state of the Korean drama and film industry at a time when ‘Squid Game 2’ is receiving a lot of attention. Lee Jung-jae said, ”I really regret why Korean films and dramas have declined at this time of all times. When people go abroad, they wait for Korean dramas and films and look for more interesting works, but I regret why they declined at this time of all times. It made me think that I should produce as many episodes as before faster. So I think we need to make an effort to change the production environment to be as active as before as soon as possible,” he said.

He added, “I really don’t know what will happen to the market. It’s becoming a desperate and gloomy situation, and I feel sorry and heartbroken when I think about the benefits that people who have been here for a long time, including myself, have enjoyed but are not being passed on to their juniors. That shouldn’t happen. I think we absolutely need to increase the number of projects to overcome this situation.”

Regarding this, when the controversy over the high appearance fees of actors was mentioned, Lee Jung-jae emphasized, “There are a lot of articles and comments about that, but when a situation arises, there isn’t just one or two causes. There are dozens or hundreds of causes that cause a phenomenon. Of course, the producers always worry about whether the guarantee or production cost is reasonable. So some like-minded people get together and talk about reducing or improving it. Right now, there are actually many problems intertwined, so I‘m thinking about how to improve them. I need to find a breakthrough,“ he answered.

Lee Jung-jae, who made his name known worldwide with ’Squid Game,‘ what kind of challenges does he have in the future?

Lee Jung-jae said, ”Before ’Squid Game,‘ there were some who thought that Lee Jung-jae was only playing villains. Now that I’m an actor who‘s getting older, I’ve come to think that a lot of strong characters are coming in, and that‘s why they’re putting pressure on the main character. When I see ‘Chief of Staff’ and ‘Squid Game,’ I think that was a hasty thought. I feel that if I wait well and do well, another opportunity can come. When I‘m cast, I feel that I have to show various sides of myself when I can, and I have to act to the fullest. I just worry about how I can do a better job of portraying the character that’s been given to me.“

Meanwhile, ‘Squid Game 2’, released on December 26, 2024, depicts the story of Ki-hoon (played by Lee Jung-jae), who vows revenge and returns to participate in the game, and the fierce confrontation between the frontman (played by Lee Byung-hun) who greets him, and the real game starting again.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com