Latest news with #JoYuri
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Squid Game' Season 3 Ending Explained
'Squid Game' Season 3 Ending Explained originally appeared on Parade. WARNING! This article spoils the events of Season 3, now available for streaming on Netflix. Please do not read further if you do not intend to know what happens in Season 3 After last year's excruciating cliffhanger, Squid Game returned for its third and final season on June 27. And with it, it brought three more life-or-death games and another winner to take home an astounding amount of money, as well as plenty of blood, gore and violence that made the Korean series a massive hit for Netflix when it first debuted. Season 3 was not afraid to roll out the body count, with many players losing their lives over the course of the final six episodes. And it all came to one massive close, with a possible opening for more of the show to everything to know about the ending of Squid Game Season 3. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Squid Game Final Season Ending Explained The final game The final episode, "Humans Are...," opened with the three remaining players left in the game: Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), Myung-gi (Im Si-wan) and, stunningly, the latter's baby. That's because Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri) had given birth to their child while in the games, before losing her life the next day. But, heeding her final words to stay away from her and her baby, Myung-gi revealed in the finale that he wanted to leave Gi-hun stranded, then kill the baby to make sure he walked away with the money. Luckily, Gi-hun went full Tom Cruise and jumped over to the last tower, fighting him. In the tussle, both men went over the edge, hanging on by a thread. And karma ultimately came for Myung-gi, as his lifeline tore, sending him plummeting to his death. Gi-hun pulled himself back up, but the carnage was not done. The button had not been pressed yet, meaning at least one of the two remaining players had to die for the game to end. All of the VIPs watching believed Gi-hun would simply kill the child, making him the first-ever two-time winner of the games. But they didn't know the real reason he had thrown himself back in the fray. Turning his back on the oligarchs, he placed the baby down before speaking out loud (most likely to his nemesis, the Front Man). 'We are not horses," he said. "We are humans. Humans are…" And with that, he threw himself off the tower. At long last, Player 456 was no more. And Player 222, a baby who was less than three days old and had inherited her mother's number, had won the game. Destroying the island While lots of drama was happening in the last game, plenty was also happening elsewhere on the island. No-eul (Park Gyu-young) had literally clawed her way back into headquarters, looking to take down her boss, as well as wipe the record of Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-wook), whom she helped escape the games. In the process, she discovered the file room, containing the records of every player and employee in the games' history. There, she tearfully discovered that, according to her file, her daughter had passed away in North Korea. As No-eul sits down, preparing to end her life, she hears a baby cry. Upon seeing the new child in the games, she relents, deciding to leave the island. And she has an easy out to do so, considering how things come to an end. After a two-year search filled with loan sharks and treachery, Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) at long last succeeded in his mission. He found the island that he visited back in Season 1, and was looking to reunite with his brother, In-ho (Lee Byung-hun). However, upon infiltrating HQ, he found he was too late. After finding out Jun-ho had alerted the Coast Guard to their location, In-ho set the island to self-destruct and took off with the baby in tow. All Jun-ho could do was see his brother from afar, lamenting, "Why did you do it?" The entire setting for these depraved games is destroyed, though everyone is able to get out just in time. Related: Six months later We then pick things up half a year later across multiple continents. Here are the major beats from stopping in with all of the characters who survived: –Gyeong-seok indeed made it off the island, and is back to painting caricatures in the theme park. Not only that, his sick daughter, for whom he entered the games in the first place, has happily survived. –No-eul received a call that, despite what she found in the file, there is a chance that her daughter is still alive. She ended the series by going to the airport, flying off to China to go and find her. –Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho), after getting arrested and imprisoned for breaking into Captain Park's (Oh Dal-su) house, got out of jail. Feeling "lost," the moneylender was looking to take up the hotel that Gi-hun bought in Season 2 to help surveil (and practice shooting) the masked men. –After picking up Woo-seok from prison, Jun-ho came home to find quite a present from his brother. On his kitchen table was the baby, still wrapped up in his mother's tracksuit. And, as the technical winner of the games, that means she also came with a debit card to an account with 45.6 billion won. It is assumed that Jun-ho would raise this child as his own, with a life-changing amount of money in tow. –In-ho himself, meanwhile, was over in Los Angeles. He visited Gi-hun's estranged daughter, informing her that her father had died. He then gives her his belongings: His 456 track suit, as well as her own card to his winnings. While Jun-ho and Woo-seok speculated as to who took Gi-hun's money from the hotel, it's now clear that In-ho did so to carry on his legacy. Let the games continue For all intents and purposes, it seems that the version of Squid Game we know is done. Conceived with only three seasons in mind, blowing up the island seemed to be a firm punctuation mark at the end of a four-year sentence, destroying the games forevermore. Or should we Korean version of the games. That's because, in the show's final scene, as In-ho is stopped in traffic, he hears a familiar sound: The *smack* of a ddakji envelope. As he looks out, he sees another recruiter (Cate Blanchett) is yet again engaging in a game with a down-on-his-luck man in an alley. She looks back on him and smiles, and he does the same before pulling away. Talks of an English-langugage version of Squid Game have certainly been out there, with David Fincher at one point attached to the project. And it's unknown if this ending officially confirms if one is on the way. However, even on the surface, it shows there are multiple versions of the games, whether simultaneously running or with an American version having taken up the mantle after the Korean version was destroyed. Despite the happy endings for many characters, it's a sign that, try as you might, the games will still be on.'Squid Game' Season 3 Ending Explained first appeared on Parade on Jun 27, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Pink Villa
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Son Ye Jin, Jo Yuri CONFIRMED to lead new show Variety: Know K-pop industry-based plot, character details and more
Son Ye Jin and Jo Yuri are officially confirmed to headline Variety, an upcoming Netflix original K-drama. It explores the twisted relationships between celebrities, their fans, and the people who profit from them. Known for her outstanding performances and emotional depth, Son Ye Jin returns to the small screen in a commanding role as a woman at the top of the entertainment industry. Opposite her is Jo Yuri, a rising actress and former idol who continues to show growth with each project. This marks a major career milestone for both stars. For Son Ye Jin, it's a bold move into darker, more morally complex territory. And for Jo Yuri, it's a chance to fully embrace a psychologically intense role following her buzzworthy performances in Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3. Variety plot Variety follows the intense story of two women from vastly different worlds, whose paths are destined to collide. Son Ye Jin takes on the role of Sae Eun, the CEO of South Korea's most influential entertainment agency. Brilliant and unyielding, she's credited with launching the country's top idol group to superstardom. But as their contract nears its end, Sae Eun finds herself at a crossroads. Her need to retain the group leads her to make cold, calculated moves. Even if it means burning bridges or crossing ethical lines. For Sae Eun, the company's legacy is personal, and she's willing to sacrifice everything to protect what she built from scratch. On the opposite end is Seung Hee, portrayed by Jo Yuri. She's a fan whose devotion has turned into a dangerous fixation. No longer content with just following her favorite idol from afar, Seung Hee begins tracking every move, spiraling into obsession. As her grip on reality loosens, her actions start to blur the boundary between admiration and intrusion. It ultimately threatens the very system that Sae Eun has worked so hard to control. Variety by Mask Girl director Kim Yong Hoon The project is in the hands of Kim Yong Hoon, a director known for his edgy, character-driven narratives. His previous Netflix project, Mask Girl, garnered both critical acclaim and strong viewership for its daring tone and unpredictable storytelling. His 2020 feature film Beasts Clawing at Straws was also widely praised for its noir aesthetic and complex characters. While Son Ye Jin and Jo Yuri lead the story, the series will also feature a diverse range of supporting characters, including industry insiders, rival executives, fellow fans, and idols. The production team has brought together both established actors and promising new faces. Although Netflix has yet to confirm the exact release window, production is well underway. Given the names attached and the emotionally charged storyline, Variety is already one of the most anticipated Korean dramas in Netflix's upcoming slate.
Pink Villa
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Was Jo Yuri paid 4.2 billion KRW for Squid Game? Actress spills about paycheck and changes in life post-fame
Former IZ*ONE member and rising actress Jo Yuri has opened up about her experience working on Squid Game. She talked about her sudden rise to global recognition, and the viral rumors surrounding her alleged appearance fee. The singer-turned-actress made a guest appearance on MBC's variety show Point of Omniscient Interfere. She offered fans a rare glimpse into her life after becoming part of one of Netflix's most globally successful franchises. Jo Yuri gains global spotlight after Squid Game success Jo Yuri played the character Kim Jun Hee in both Squid Game Season 2 and its follow-up, Season 3. Her performance as the emotionally layered and fiercely resilient character captured the hearts of millions across the globe. Though once primarily known as a K-pop idol, Yuri has successfully transitioned into acting. And her role in Squid Game has positioned her as a rising global star. During the July 12 broadcast, the show's MCs remarked on the astounding success of Squid Game 3, noting that it had ranked No. 1 in 93 countries on Netflix. They then asked Yuri whether that kind of international attention had translated into any tangible changes in her personal or professional life. With a humble smile, Yuri revealed that the shift was quite dramatic. Her Instagram following had jumped from 1.68 million to more than 7.6 million after her appearance in Squid Game. She went on to explain that the nature of her fan interactions had also changed. Where she once saw mostly Korean-language comments, her posts are now filled with supportive messages from fans all over the world. Jo Yuri shut down rumors about her paycheck As the conversation continued, comedian Yang Se Hyung cautiously brought up one of the hottest rumors swirling online: the claim that Jo Yuri had received 4.2 billion KRW (around 3.05 million USD) for her role in Squid Game. The figure had sparked major buzz among netizens, with many speculating whether such a huge sum was real. Yuri laughed at the rumor and addressed it head-on. 'There was an article that said my appearance fee was 4.2 billion KRW,' she said. 'That's ridiculous…It's much lower.' She declined to reveal the actual amount but made it clear that the publicized figure was heavily inflated. Yuri shares bank account access with her mother Yuri also opened up about her close relationship with her mother and how she handles her finances. When asked if she gives her mom an allowance, the actress revealed that she actually goes beyond that. She explained that she had even gone as far as giving her mother access to her bank account by sharing the password. The hosts expressed shock, joking that it was way more generous than just giving pocket money. Yuri, however, explained that her mother rarely touches the account, saying, 'But my mother hardly ever uses the money.'
Forbes
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Squid Game' Star Jo Yuri Drops New Single As Show Dominates Netflix
Ahead of releasing new single "Growls and Purrs," singer-actress Jo Yu-ri attends the screening of ... More "Squid Game 3" at The Plaza Hotel on June 18, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) As the third season of Squid Game earns its ninth day atop Netfix's Top TV Shows chart following its June 27 release, one of its breakout stars Jo Yuri is simultaneously pushing forward with her music career with a new single 'Growls and Purrs.' As a standout Squid Game star playing the desperate, down-on-her-luck Kim Jun-hee (a.k.a. Player 222), Jo Yuri earned widespread recognition for her acting but the 23-year-old first ventured into entertainment through music. In 2021, the Busan, South Korea star competed in the girl group competition series Produce 48, landing in third place and ultimately earning a spot in the girl group IZ*ONE that performed together until 2021, where they landed two Number One albums in Korea, along with a Number One album and two Number One singles in Japan. Jo broke out on her own as a soloist with several singles and EPs to her name. Her latest track, 'Growls and Purrs,' marks her music return ahead of her new EP, titled Episode 25, out on July 14, 2025. While Jo has experimented with everything from whimsical synth-pop on 2021's 'GLASSY' or feel-good rock-pop on 'Love Shhh!' from 2022, this latest track is a noticeably more mature style for the superstar. The easy-listening, jazz-tinged track allows Jo to step into a different kind of sonic soundscape, using lyrical motifs that describe her atypical way of loving, much like the way one's pet cat or dog might act. A significant part of this musical evolution can come at least in partial thanks to Jo writing 'Growls and Purrs' with Cloud, who also produced the track. Alongside his work in bands like The Volunteers, singer-songwriter-producer-keyboardist Cloud has kept his pool of collaborators small, working extensively with acclaimed singer-songwriter Yerin Baek on several of her albums, including massive hits like her 2017 breakout solo cuts 'Bye Bye My Blue' and 'Across the Universe,' as well as her Number One smash 'Maybe It's Not Our Fault' from 2019. Cloud recently signed with Blue Vinyl, the independent agency that Baek set up after she parted ways with her original agency, JYP Entertainment, which is home to huge K-pop acts like TWICE, Stray Kids and ITZY. Cloud has also collaborated with other female K-pop soloists, including Chung Ha, Hyolyn, Fei of miss A, and now Jo Yuri. 'Growls and Purrs' also comes paired with a 'VHS Diary' visual that showcases Jo through a raw, lo-fi, and colorful visual in an unexpected yet fascinating telling of the track. Viewers see the pet theme of 'Growls and Purrs' played out as Jo embraces several cat motifs, such as staring into a fishbowl, playing with a feathery cat toy, and knocking over tiny household items. Alongside the unexpectedly raw visuals, it's also refreshing to hear Jo Yuri take on this style and contribute to the songwriting. To date, the star only has a small amount of creative credits on her musical works, like co-writing the song 'Opening,' off her first EP titled Op.22 Y-Waltz: in Major, and 'SOMEDAY' from IZ*ONE's 2020 album BLOOM*IZ. With Squid Game looking unlikely to relinquish its hold on the Netflix charts anytime soon, Jo Yuri dropping 'Growls and Purrs,' as well as Episode 25, this week should all prove to be a savvy move to make this year an even bigger one for the singer-actress. Watch Squid Game star Jo Yuri's 'Growls and Purrs' music video below:
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What the 'Squid Game' baby says about us
Poor Player 222. Many of the doomed, desperate souls featured on 'Squid Game' wound up in Hwang Dong-hyuk's underground, deadly arena because of a few expensive, ill-advised decisions that plummeted their bank accounts deep into the red. But Kim Jun-hee, our Player 222 (played by K-pop star Jo Yu-ri), is there because she has no place else to go and no one to turn to. Orphaned at a young age, she hooks up with a bad boyfriend, crypto influencer Lee Myung-gi (Yim Swian), who persuades her to invest in what turns out to be a scam. In debt by tens of millions and pregnant by Myung-gi, who ghosts her, Jun-hee takes her chances with these death games. When she's introduced in season 2, her pregnancy is far along enough that Player 149, Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim), notices she could go into labor any time. That makes it a foregone conclusion that Jun-hee will give birth at a most inopportune moment, which she does. By then, she's also broken her ankle, lowering her survival chances to zero when the next game is revealed to be jump rope. She recognizes this, hands off the newborn to the show's stoic hero Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), and jumps to her death. Watching this drama unfold from within their luxurious lounge are a group of masked VIPs who have placed bets on certain players. One drunken billionaire accidentally selected 222 and throws a fit when she dies. But then another suggests that the newborn should assume her mother's number and join the fun. 'Squid Games' recently concluded to mixed reactions, although the third season's six episodes garnered 60.1 million views worldwide between its June 27 premiere date and June 29, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That represents the largest three-day tally Netflix has ever recorded in its internal rankings. Whether it met expectations or fell short, enough people were invested in finding out whether Lee's empathetic Gi-hun would manage to survive this hell again. Entering the baby into the game, however, probably wasn't a move most people saw coming. It's preposterous. So is the idea of risking one's life by playing children's playground games for a shot at 45.6 billion won, equivalent to more than $33 million. Why shouldn't a baby have a shot at earning what its mother couldn't? After all, if it were born outside the arena, it would inherit Jun-hee's debt. Justifying why this pile of helplessness would be placed in competition with a group of bloodthirsty adult men might mean we're focusing on the wrong thing. Again. The same goes for the other predominant question about the baby: was it real, or CGI? Turns out it was a real . . . prop. In some scenes, Jo held a silicone dummy and in others, a robotic puppet. (Our last glimpse of the baby features a real child actor since the scene takes place in a safe environment.) But since Hwang intends 'Squid Game' to be a grand parable about late-stage capitalism, then each of its players must evoke some element of society, right? The third season features a scam queen shaman who builds a small cult of followers that she sacrifices to men hunting them with knives; a minor, failed pop star whose narcissism and drug habit make him dangerous; and a slimy executive who excels at talking his way out of disadvantageous situations. One might think of Jun-hee and her little girl as stand-ins for the women and children swept into limbo as a result of careless politics. But after watching 'Squid Game In Conversation,' an auxiliary episode featuring Hwang in dialogue with Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun, who plays Front Man, it seems even that is reading too much into the value of Player 222. From what we can surmise, the baby is a device to showcase the nobility of the show's male characters or lack thereof. That's it. Nothing more. Of course, devices have their use. In 'Squid Game In Conversation,' Hwang tells his actors that 'the most important decision in Season 3 was to give birth, to have the baby be born and to give Gi-hun his mission to protect it and finally save the baby by sacrificing himself,' he said. 'Everything led me there. When I finally landed on that idea, I realized, 'Ah, it was all for this.'' Maybe that's one reason the ending was dissatisfying. Please understand, this doesn't imply a belief that most people watching 'Squid Game' care about the fates of anyone in this show besides Gi-hun, let alone notice that no other female characters made it to the final game besides Player 222 2.0. Fewer may see the irony in the remaining women being killed off by a round of jump rope, a playground game predominantly played by girls.'Squid Game,' for all its bluntness, tries to hold up a mirror to the real world, where a cursory look around lets us know how little society values the lives of women and children. There have been many stories about the backlash against feminist discourse in Korea, stemming from protests about the wide wage gap between men and women, along with the general normalization of misogyny. Yoon Suk Yeol's anti-feminist platform is cited as one of the planks that won him the presidency in 2022. After Donald Trump was re-elected president, some American women began considering the principles of South Korea's 4B movement more seriously. The name is shorthand for bihon, which translates to 'no marriage'; bichulsan, which means 'no childbirth'; biyeonae, meaning 'no dating'; and bisekseu, which means 'no sex.' That sounds extreme until you read a few headlines. Right now, Georgia law is keeping a brain-dead woman on life support so her months-old fetus can gestate to term. Her family had no choice in that decision; state law grants fetuses personhood and bans abortion after the point at which an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity in an embryo. On Thursday, our Republican-held Congress passed an unpopular bill that strips funding from Medicaid and food assistance for low-income families. The New York Times quotes a sobbing Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, as saying, 'The amount of kids who are going to go without health care and food — people like my mom are going to be left to die because they don't have access to health care. It's just pretty unfathomable.' Hyung's sidelining of women in his violent fiction ranks much lower on our collective list of problems with the world, but you can't accuse him of being out of touch with politics. Even so, once you realize the role of women in this show is to sacrifice themselves in service of men's stories, you might also notice how much suffering is piled on some of them in the name of entertainment. As USA Today critic Kelly Lawler mentioned to a mutual friend, there was no need to break Jun-hee's ankle before sending her into a game she had no chance of surviving. She'd just pushed another human out of her body on the hard floor of some deadly maze. Hopping around after that is not in the cards for anybody. But giving birth is not enough. To ensure the audience cares about the robot baby, its mother must suffer greatly. Geum-ja is another mother willing to die for her worthless son, entering the games in the hope of paying off his debts without knowing he'd also signed on. She bravely stabs him to protect Jun-hee and her baby, but hangs herself shortly afterward. Women in 'Squid Game' are there to break in the most fetching ways. Jun-hee's anguish has a similar purpose to that of first-season favorite Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), who is nearly broken when she talks Gi-hun out of a morally reprehensible act. Soon after that, Gi-hun and Sae-byeok's shared adversary murders her in her bed, which certainly makes Gi-hun look like the better man. Her ghost reappears in the final episodes to utter the same words she told him then: 'Mister. Don't do it. That isn't you. You're a good person at heart.' Baby 222 lands on a more fortunate ending because, at least for now, killing infants for sport on TV is a terrible look. Granted, Myung-gi, the third surviving player at the end and the baby's father, looks willing to do that instead of becoming a single dad. Thanks to Gi-hun's knack for hanging on to the bitter end, we never have to find out what Myung-gi would have done. Gi-hun then trades his life for that of an infant with no parents, no name and no traceable identity. Front Man could have done anything with Player 222 Jr., but — nobly, again — leaves her in the care of his more principled brother Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), a former cop. Then he delivers the remainder of Gi-hun's winnings to his daughter, who now lives in the United States, and declares she wants nothing to do with him before she learns her father is dead. One of the last women seen in 'Squid Game' is an American recruiter played by Cate Blanchett, who grins at Front Man watching from his limo as she slaps some indebted fool. By then, we've mostly stopped thinking about that baby, which is just as well. She never really mattered in the first place. The following article contains spoilers for "Squid Game" The post What the 'Squid Game' baby says about us appeared first on
