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'Squid Game' script line causes controversy in Vietnam

Published: 06 Jan. 2025, 17:23

SHIN MIN-HEE
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Still from the second season of Netflix ″Squid Game″ (2021-) [NETFLIX]

Season two of Netflix’s dystopian hit “Squid Game” (2021-) has been facing backlash among online users in Vietnam due to a specific line that mentioned the Vietnam War (1955-75).

According to a recent report by Vietnamese daily newspaper Tuoi Tre, the nation’s Department of Cinema is conducting a post-audit of the show following audience feedback that the show has “distorted Vietnamese history.”

Clause 1, Article 9 of the Vietnamese Law on Cinematography states that media content that “distorts the national history, denies revolutionary achievements and insults the nation” are prohibited.

The controversial scene is where characters Dae-ho (played by actor Kang Ha-neul) and Jung-bae (played by Lee Seo-hwan) talk about their days serving in the Marine Corps.

“Your father sent his only son to the Marine Corps?” Jung-bae asks, to which Dae-ho replies, “He wanted me to man up. My father fought in the Vietnam War.”

Jung-bae then says, “Your father must be a great guy.”

Actor Lee addressed the scene in question during a press interview on Monday, saying that “it was a misunderstanding.”

“It was supposed to be a compliment on sending his only son to the Marine Corps, not the fact that he fought in the Vietnam War,” he said. “But in the perspective of the Vietnamese, I understand that it may be hurtful. I feel the weight of the responsibility that actors have in each and every line of their dialogue.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]