7 Chilling Real-Life Stories That Prove 'Squid Game' Is Not Just Fiction

As of December 22, 2025, the question of whether *Squid Game* is based on a true story remains one of the most searched queries on the internet, and the answer is more complex—and disturbing—than a simple 'no.' While the deadly games themselves are entirely fictional, the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has confirmed that the entire narrative is a thinly veiled allegory inspired by specific, traumatic, and very real social and economic crises that have plagued South Korea for decades. This is the true, dark origin story. The show’s global appeal stems from its brutal honesty about capitalism’s dark side, with every character and plot point rooted in actual historical events, from massive labor disputes to systemic debt and the exploitation of the vulnerable. The creator's own financial struggles while writing the script further cemented the show's authentic connection to the themes of desperation and survival.

The Man Behind the Madness: Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Biography and Personal Debt

The genesis of *Squid Game* lies not just in a creative idea, but in the personal financial desperation of its own writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk. His own life mirrors the struggle of his main character, Seong Gi-hun, making the show's social commentary deeply authentic.

• Full Name: Hwang Dong-hyuk (황동혁)
• Born: May 26, 1971
• Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
• Education: Seoul National University (B.A. in Communications), University of Southern California (M.F.A. in Film Production)
• Notable Works (Pre-Squid Game): *My Father* (2007), *Silenced* (2011), *Miss Granny* (2014), and *The Fortress* (2017).
• Financial Struggles: While writing the *Squid Game* script in 2008, Hwang faced severe financial hardship. He was forced to sell his laptop—worth about $675 at the time—to pay rent and cover basic living expenses.
• Inadequate Compensation: Despite *Squid Game* generating billions for Netflix, Hwang publicly stated that his initial contract did not include a share of the massive residual profits. The stress of the production even led him to lose six teeth.
• Current Status: He returned to direct *Squid Game* Season 2, in part, due to the inadequate compensation from the first season's overwhelming success, highlighting the very corporate exploitation the show critiques.

Hwang Dong-hyuk's own experience with debt and financial precarity during the 2008 global financial crisis was the immediate catalyst for the series. He drew on his own life, where he was heavily reliant on his mother and grandmother, to craft the narrative of a man desperate enough to risk his life for a massive cash prize.

The Real-Life Gi-hun: The SsangYong Motor Company Strike of 2009

Perhaps the most direct and chilling real-life inspiration for *Squid Game* is the violent labor dispute involving the SsangYong Motor Company. This event is the specific, documented backstory for the main protagonist, Seong Gi-hun (Player 456).

1. The SsangYong Layoffs and the Debt Spiral

Gi-hun’s character is introduced as a laid-off autoworker who participated in a violent labor strike, leading to his subsequent spiral into debt, gambling addiction, and failure as a father. This entire arc is a fictionalized account of the 2009 SsangYong Motor Company strike. In 2009, SsangYong—a major South Korean automaker—announced massive layoffs following a period of financial distress. The employees staged a 77-day sit-in strike at the factory in Pyeongtaek. The protest turned violent when police and private security forces were deployed, resulting in injuries and property damage. The event became a widely publicized symbol of the brutal realities of labor disputes and the devastating impact of corporate restructuring on working-class families in South Korea.

2. South Korea’s Crushing Household Debt

The core engine of the game is the vast pool of participants, all united by overwhelming economic inequality and crushing debt. This reflects a genuine national crisis in South Korea. The country has one of the highest levels of household debt among developed nations, a situation exacerbated by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the 2008 global recession. The Korean debt crisis forces millions into a cycle of desperation, making the fictional 45.6 billion won prize a terrifyingly plausible escape route for the indebted.

3. The Exploitation of Migrant Workers

The heartbreaking story of Player 199, Ali Abdul, the Pakistani migrant worker, is drawn from Hwang Dong-hyuk's own observations of racial discrimination and labor exploitation in South Korea. Migrant workers often face precarious employment, wage theft, and systemic abuse, making them exceptionally vulnerable. Ali’s betrayal and eventual death in the marble game—after being unfairly denied his wages—is a direct commentary on the lack of protection for non-native workers in the country's economic system.

Darker Historical Echoes: The Brothers’ Home and Social Stratification

While the SsangYong strike provides the specific context for Gi-hun, the show’s broader themes of government-sanctioned violence and the warehousing of the poor resonate with some of the darkest chapters in South Korean history.

4. The Chilling Parallel to the Brothers’ Home Tragedy

Many viewers and critics have drawn parallels between the *Squid Game* facility and the horrific Brothers’ Home internment camp in Busan. From the 1970s to the late 1980s, under the guise of a government mandate to "cleanse" society, thousands of homeless people, beggars, and even children were rounded up and imprisoned at Brothers’ Home. Inmates were subjected to forced labor, rape, torture, and murder, all for the profit of the camp's operators. The facility operated with impunity for years. While the creator has stated there is no direct connection, the shared theme of an isolated, government-ignored facility where vulnerable people are systematically abused and killed for a hidden elite’s benefit is undeniable and provides a chilling historical echo.

5. The Game’s VIPs and the Global Elite

The mysterious VIPs who watch the games are not just cartoon villains; they represent the global capitalist elite who view human life as a commodity for entertainment and profit. The creator has indicated that the VIPs will have a more active and critical role in *Squid Game* Season 2 and Season 3, reflecting his real-world observations of the true controllers of the system. These wealthy figures, who are entirely detached from the consequences of their actions, are a metaphor for the financial institutions and ultra-rich individuals who profit from the debt and suffering of the masses.

6. The Children’s Games as a Symbol of Lost Innocence

The use of traditional Korean children’s games like Red Light, Green Light, Dalgona, and Marbles is a powerful narrative choice. These games, once symbols of innocence and community, are twisted into instruments of death. This contrast highlights how the struggle for survival in a hyper-competitive capitalist society has corrupted the fundamental aspects of human life and stripped away any sense of fair play or childhood nostalgia.

7. The Paradox of Choice and the Illusion of Fairness

The show constantly emphasizes the "fairness" of the game, where everyone is given an equal chance regardless of their social standing outside. This paradox—a fair game with a deadly outcome—is a direct critique of the meritocracy myth in modern society. It suggests that when the stakes are life and death, the illusion of a level playing field is simply a tool used by the powerful to justify the systemic failure that drove the players to the game in the first place. The "choice" to play is not a choice at all when the alternative is a slow death by debt.

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