Warning: Contains spoilers for Squid Game.
Squid Game’s Player 067, also known as Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), is one of the survival drama series’ most beloved characters – but what’s the subtle detail that makes her performance even better? There’s no doubt that North Korean defector and tenacious Squid Game player Kang Sae-byeok is one of the reasons why Squid Game has become Netflix’s most popular series. While all of Squid Game’s other players volunteered for the death games in hopes of paying off their debts, Sae-byeok’s story is unique in that she plans to use the prize money to get her family out of North Korea.
As Sae-byeok struggles not to get scammed by immigration brokers and earn money for her family, her little brother Kang Cheol (Park Si-wan) resides in an orphanage in Seoul. While participating in Squid Game, Sae-byeok openly distrusts others and maintains her distance, until she opens up to other players like Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Ji-yeong (Lee Yoo-mi), with whom she has authentic but tragically short-lived connections. In the end, Sae-byeok gets stabbed in the neck and eliminated from the games by Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), before she can even participate in the last titular round of Squid Game.
Jung Ho-yeon’s performance as Squid Game Player 067 has been lauded by viewers around the world as one of the series’ most impressive – partially because of the nuance she places into the role. Korean-speaking Squid Game viewers have noticed one subtle detail about the character that was borderline impossible for non-Korean speakers to catch. While Sae-byeok speaks in a South Korean accent throughout the series, in her scenes with her kid brother Kang Cheol, Sae-byeok speaks in a North Korean accent, suggesting she conceals it throughout the rest of the show. The reason for this is because North Koreans often face discrimination in South Korea, wherein many regard them as spies from the North. When her identity is revealed, some Squid Game players even call her a spy and a communist, which is why Sae-byeok prefers to speak in a South Korean accent most of the time.
This acting detail is especially impressive given that – unlike the rest of Squid Game’s cast of characters – Kang Sae-byeok is actually model and actor Jung Ho-yeon’s first acting role. Before Squid Game, Ho-yeon’s only onscreen experience was when she appeared in Korea’s Next Top Model. Ho-yeon’s interview with W Korea reveals that her preparation for the role involved working with a teacher to perfect the North Korean accent. Ho-yeon also watched a lot of North Korean documentaries, which helped her to prepare for inhabiting the character of Sae-byeok.
Despite the fact that Ho-yeon managed to bring to life one of Squid Game’s most beloved characters, it’s unlikely that Sae-byeok will return for season 2, as she was murdered by Sang-woo in Squid Game episode 8. Unless season 2 is set in the past, or includes flashbacks with Sae-byeok’s little brother Cheol, Sae-byeok is gone for good. In any case, Ho-yeon’s Player 067 remains to be one of Squid Game’s most beloved and memorable performances.
