Here Are K-Dramas Featuring the Stars of Squid Game Season 2

If Squid Game Season 2 has left you wanting more of its stars, you are not alone. Both the returning and new cast members captivated us with their performances in Hwang Dong-hyuk's thriller series. Thankfully, the majority of Squid Game Season 2's actors are veteran performers who have graced Korea's screens for up to three decades. Which means that if you're itching to watch them in other projects, there's an extensive catalogue that spans genres.

For the purposes of this list, we are only highlighting shows and not movies — though some of these stars are credited in dozens of films. Also, while many of the seasoned actors have starred in a large number of shows, we are focusing on the ones that were critically or commercially acclaimed — or both — and pivotal in the actor's career.

Across his three decades of acting, Lee Jung-jae has starred in far more films than series. In fact, there was a 10-year period between 2009 and 2019 when he only took on movie roles. But Lee's return to the small screen was a big moment: He starred in the highly-rated political drama Chief of Staff. Lee portrayed the scheming Jang Tae-joon, who is chief of staff to a politician in the National Assembly. Unlike his character in Squid Game who at the start of Season 1 has nearly given up on himself, in this series Lee plays a man driven by his political ambitions.

Chief of Staff is available to stream on Netflix.

Though we know Lee Byung-hun as Squid Game's antagonist the Front Man, the actor has made a career playing valiant leading men. One of his roles was playing the brilliant Special Forces soldier Kim Hyun-jun in the 2009 spy thriller Iris. The show was one of the most expensive Korean dramas ever made at the time, and Lee won Best Actor in Television for his performance at Korea's prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards. 

The actor also won a Baeksang award for portraying another standout protagonist: Eugene Choi, or Choi Yujin, in the 2018 historical drama Mr. Sunshine. Set in the years before Japan's occupation of Korea, the drama tells the story of Eugene, a U.S. Marine Corps captain, going to Korea on a mission and falling for noblewoman Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri) who has secret ties to a group of Korean independence fighters. Besides its stunning cinematography and dynamic supporting cast, Mr. Sunshine boasts one of the most beautiful love stories ever told.

Iris and Mr. Sunshine are both available to stream on Netflix.

If you're looking to watch Wi ha-jun in a completely different kind of role from his dogged character detective Hwang Jun-ho in Squid Game, the 2019 rom-com Romance Is a Bonus Book is the show for you. In the series that largely takes place in a book publishing company, Wi plays a designer who develops feelings for a single mother. We'll tell you now: He is not the leading man in this series, so be prepared for some unrequited love.

Romance Is a Bonus Book is available to stream on Netflix.

Many K-drama fans were first introduced to Park Gyu-young through the 2020 series It's Okay to Not Be Okay. In the stirring romance drama exploring mental health and childhood trauma, Park played a reserved nurse who has quietly pined after main character Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun). The actor embraced an entirely different personality in another buzzy Netflix drama: Sweet Home. In this apocalyptic horror, Park starred as a hard-edged musician who doesn't hesitate to pick up her baseball bat to protect herself against monsters who have swarmed the land.

Both It's Okay to Not Be Okay and Sweet Home are available to stream on Netflix.

Park Sung-hoon's casting has been heavily discussed as he is a cis male actor playing a trans woman in Squid Game Season 2. In an interview with TV Guide, director Hwang Dong-hyuk shared more about the decision: "When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans," Hwang said. "It was near impossible to find someone who we could cast authentically, and that led us to the decision to cast Sung-hoon."

Park's last few years have been marked by starring in two massive hits. In the revenge thriller The Glory, which premiered in two parts across 2022 and 2023, the actor starred as the cruel Jeon Jae-jun who severely bullied the show's protagonist in high school. Park starred as another villainous character, Yoon Eun-sung, in 2024's exhilarating rom-com Queen of Tears. Both of these dramas were immensely popular on Netflix, and established Park's reputation for expertly playing despicable antagonists. 

Both The Glory and Queen of Tears are available to stream on Netflix.

Yim Si-wan's star has been rising in the last decade. In 2014, he became a household name in Korea as the lead of Misaeng — which became a culture phenomenon in the country. The series follows the life of Yim's character Jang Geu-rae, who after failing to become a professional Go player like he's always dreamt of, starts a desk job. Misaeng was praised for its realistic portrayal of office life, and Yim won Best New Actor in TV for his performance at the Baeksang Arts Awards. 

Another must-watch with Yim as the lead is the 2020 series Run On, in which he plays a former sprinter who falls in love with a film translator. Yim, who started his career in entertainment as a K-pop star in the group ZE:A, recorded the song "I and You" for the show's soundtrack and is also credited as a lyricist.

Both Misaeng and Run On are available to stream on Netflix.

Squid Game's Season 2 marks a reunion between Yim Si-wan and Kang Ha-neul, as the latter also starred in the 2014 workplace series Misaeng as an office employee. Since then, Kang has taken on roles across shows and films in a range of genres. On the shows side, Kang shone in the 2019 rom-com-meets-thriller When the Camellia Blooms. In the drama, he plays puppy-eyed police officer Yong-sik who becomes enamored with single mother Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin). The show is simultaneously wholesome and chilling (despite the romantic subject matter, a big part of the show involves a serial killer), and for his performance Kang won Best Actor in Television at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

Both When the Camellia Blooms and Misaeng are available to stream on Netflix.

Familiar to many as T.O.P., Choi Seung-hyun is a former member of the history-making K-pop group Big Bang as well as an actor. He made his acting debut in the 2007 rom-com I Am Sam (also known as I Am Your Teacher), which follows a fumbling high-school teacher — portrayed by Squid Game Season 2's very own Yang Dong-geun — who becomes a live-in tutor for the daughter of a gangster. Shortly after, Choi starred in the aforementioned 2009 spy thriller Iris, which features Lee Byung-hun, as the enigmatic assassin Vick. 

I Am Sam/I Am Your Teacher is available to stream on Viki, and Iris is available to stream on Netflix.

Most fans of Korean culture first met Jo Yu-ri in Produce 48, a reality competition series where 96 contestants vied for a chance to debut in a  girl group. Jo impressed with her vocal skills, and placed third by audience voting to become a member of IZ*ONE. After the temporary group disbanded in 2021, she's launched her career as a solo artist, debuting with the track "Glassy." But she's also ventured into acting before Squid Game: Jo starred in the 2022 teen drama Mimicus, and played the youngest member of a rising K-pop group.

Mimicus is available to stream on Viki.

Lee Jin-uk has appeared on the small screen for nearly two decades. He recently became more familiar to K-drama viewers around the world through his role in Sweet Home, which Park Gyu-young also stars in. In the apocalyptic horror following residents in one apartment building fighting to survive, Lee plays a hardened contract killer. His past may just give him a fighting chance against the murderous creatures that have invaded his home.

Sweet Home is available to stream on Netflix.