Squid Game, a popular Netflix series, lost a star.
Hwang Dong-hyuk is the creator, writer, and director of the South Korean series, which centers on a covert competition in which participants risk their lives to earn enormous sums of money by playing kid-friendly activities.
The television program has garnered praise from critics and attention from around the world. It has won multiple awards, including one Golden Globe and six Primetime Emmys.
After learning of the passing of one of its heroes, Squid Game followers are now inconsolable.
Taking to social media to pay tribute, one fan writes: “May she rest in peace.”
Another adds: “Very sad.”
Somebody else says: “Known for her role in Squid Game and decades of iconic performances, she leaves behind a lasting legacy. May she rest in peace.”
“She was such a phenomenal actress. Rest in peace,” a fourth pens.
In the series, Lee Joo-Sil portrayed Park Mal Soon, the stepmother of Hwang In Ho (Lee Byung Hun) and the mother of Hwang Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon).
While Hwang In Ho, also referred to as the Front Man, is the current chief staff member and the person in charge of the games, Hwang Jun Ho is the former police detective who infiltrated the Squid Games in the first season.
In the 1960s, Lee started her acting career by doing voice acting and theater shows. After that, she was cast in a lot of K-dramas.
Her most memorable role was that of Mrs. Woo, the protagonist’s grandmother, in the 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan, costarring with Squid Game.
The K-drama The Uncanny Counter, which centers on paranormal hunters looking for malevolent spirits from the dead, included her in a long-running role as well.
The Chosun Ilbo, a Korean daily, reports that Lee died on February 2 at her family’s residence in Uijeongbu. She suffered a heart arrest, according to her talent agency, 1230Culture.
The 81-year-old passed away months after receiving a diagnosis of stomach cancer, one of the most common malignancies in the world.
According to the Chosun Ilbo, Lee was previously given less than a year to live after receiving a stage three breast cancer diagnosis in her fifties. However, 13 years later, doctors declared her cancer-free.
Lee’s involvement in the third and final season of Squid Game, which is scheduled for release on June 27, 2025, is yet unknown.
