Is player 246 alive? Squid Game 2 actress Park Gyu-young sparks controversy for leaking potential season 3 spoiler 

On January 8, 2025, Sports Chosun reported that Park Gyu-young sparked controversy by sharing a behind-the-scenes image on social media, which some fans interpreted as a potential spoiler for Squid Game season 3.

The image showed her in the character of a pink soldier alongside Lee Jin-wook. Furthermore, Lee Jin-wook was seen in a pink guard's costume as well, sitting beside Park Gyu-young. However, the show's creators have remained tight-lipped.

Park Gyu-young deleted the photo immediately after posting it on her Instagram (@lavieenbluu), however, thousands of her followers saw it before that. This led to rampant speculation about Gyeong-seok's survival and a possible alliance between the two characters in the upcoming season.

Sports Chosun reported that the Sweet Home actress' agency, Saram Entertainment, responded the same day and said:

“Please check the information you asked about in season 3.”

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More about Lee Jin-wook and Park Gyu-young's characters in Squid Game 2

Squid Game 2, released on December 26, 2024, introduced viewers to new characters, each with compelling backstories that added depth to the series' exploration of human desperation and survival. Among these was Player 246, portrayed by Lee Jin-wook, whose storyline became a focal point of recent fan speculation.

Park Gyeong-seok (played by Lee Jin-wook), also known as Player 246, is a devoted father and artist who entered the deadly games with a singular purpose: to secure the financial means necessary for his daughter Na-yeon's medical treatment.

Na-yeon suffered from blood cancer, and Gyeong-seok's participation in the games underscored the lengths to which individuals are willing to go to save their loved ones. His backstory was marked by sacrifice and desperation due to societal inequalities and dire circumstances.

Throughout season 2, Gyeong-seok's journey was fraught with moral dilemmas and alliances formed under duress. His character embodied the struggle between maintaining one's humanity and the instinct for self-preservation in a merciless environment.

In the penultimate episode, Gyeong-seok seemingly met a tragic end; he was fatally wounded during a confrontation with the game's enforcers—the pink soldiers. Notably, the series did not depict what happened to his body post-mortem, leaving his fate ambiguous and fueling fan theories about a possible return in the future installment.

Fans believed and speculated that Park Gyeong-seok (played by Lee Jin-wook), aka Player 246, will return in Squid Game 3. Additionally, actress Park Gyu-young's now-deleted Instagram post fueled the rumors even more.

Meanwhile, Park Gyu-young portrays Kang No-eul, a North Korean defector and former soldier who becomes Pink Soldier/Guard 011 in the games in Squid Game 2. No-eul's backstory was brimmed with hardship; after killing her superior officer, she fled to South Korea, leaving her newborn daughter behind.

In the South, she worked as a costumed mascot at a children's amusement park all the while searching for her lost child. Her desperation and need for resources led her to accept a position as a guard in the deadly competition, where she had to shoot every player who would get eliminated in the games.

Throughout season 2, No-eul's internal conflict was palpable as she grappled with the moral implications of her role. Her interactions with the players, particularly Gyeong-seok, revealed a compassionate side, suggesting a potential alliance in the future.

In Squid Game 2's final episodes, No-eul's fate was left obscure, with her character's storyline open to interpretation and further development.

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Squid Game 2 is streaming on Netflix and season 3 is reported to be released in June 2025, as per Forbes on January 3.