Seoul marks 'Squid Game' final season with cosplay parade

Thousands of fans gathered in Seoul on Saturday to celebrate the final Squid Game season, ending a global Netflix hit that is seen as a symbol of South Korea's cultural clout, reported AFP.

The third and final season was released Friday, concluding the series that sees desperate people compete in deadly versions of traditional children's games for a massive cash prize.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk said he had "poured everything" into the series, which launched nearly four years ago.

"So while it's sentimental to see it end," he said, "there's also a sense of relief".

Fans gathered near Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace, led by marchers dressed in the bright pink uniforms worn by the show's mysterious masked agents.

They were followed by others carrying oversize toys from one of the games featured in the series, along with the show's flag.

Park Sang-gyu, a fan who stayed up all night watching the final season, said the dystopian drama was "ultimately a story about people".

"As you watch, you realise it's not just about the games - it reflects many aspects of real life."

The walls of the Seoul Metropolitan Library were lit up with key scenes, including Young-hee – the giant motion-sensing animatronic doll featured in one of its brutal games.

Lee Byung-hun, who played the masked Front Man overseeing the competition, said the show had become "something of a cultural phenomenon".

"One that has drawn one of the boldest lines in the history of Korean content," he said.

The first two seasons of the series are among Netflix's most-watched shows, and in 2022, Hwang and the show's leading actor, Lee Jung-jae, became the first Asian men to win Emmy Awards.

As per Variety, the first season of Squid Game still ranks as the most popular show on Netflix ever, with 265.2 million views. Season 2, which has pulled in 192.6 million views so far, achieved the most views for any Netflix show in its premiere week and entered the Top 10 Non-English Language TV chart in just three days. It is currently the overall third biggest season of a show in Netflix history.

The final season follows its hero Gi-hun, played by Lee, as he returns to the ultra-violent games to dismantle them from within after surviving the first round.

Along with filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning 2019 thriller Parasite and K-pop sensation BTS, Squid Game is considered one of the most powerful examples of South Korea's rise as a global cultural force.