A North Korea propaganda website has ridiculed “Squid Game” for its focus on money, saying that it’s a show where “only money matters.”
- “Squid Game” is a story of contestants competing in a series of childhood games to earn money that can get them out of serious debt. The problem? If they lose, they die.
The North Korean state-run website said “Squid Game” is an example of the “beastly” nature of “South Korean capitalist society where mankind is annihilated by extreme competition.”
- In a new post, the website said “Squid Game” shows an “unequal society where the strong exploit the weak.”
- North Korea used the show as a way to slam South Korean society.
As I wrote for the Deseret News, the show is full of graphic violence, sexual content and mature themes, making it unsuitable for children. That said, the show focuses on the major problem of debt. We’re all dealing with some level of debt — from student loans to credit cards and whatnot — so it resonates well with many. The message is pretty easy to grasp after the first episode.
It’s hard to ignore “Squid Game” is resonating with people across the world. Netflix announced this week that the series reached 111 million fans, which is the biggest series launch to date.
Minyoung Kim, Netflix’s vice president of content for Asia Pacific, told CNN that the show has exceeded expectations, too.
- “When we first started investing in Korean series and films in 2015, we knew we wanted to make world-class stories for the core K-content fans across Asia and the world,” Kim said. “Today, ‘Squid Game’ has broken through beyond our wildest dreams.”
- “‘Squid Game’ gave (Netflix) more confidence that our global strategy is going towards the right direction,” Kim told CNN.