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The second season of Squid Game aired on December 26, 2025, with seven gripping episodes that once again captivated audiences worldwide. The life-or-death games, intense character arcs, and chilling themes of desperation and survival have reignited discussions about the show's origins.
Among these debates is a viral theory claiming Squid Game is based on a true story, specifically the horrific events of the Brothers' Home case in 1986. However, despite rumors, Squid Game is not directly based on any specific true story. While both involve systemic exploitation and abuse, Squid Game draws more from social commentary than any singular historical event.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has repeatedly clarified that the series is a fictional work inspired by his personal experiences, Japanese manga, and themes of capitalism. However, some unsettling parallels between the show's narrative and real-life incidents, such as the Brothers' Home in South Korea, have fueled the viral speculation.
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For those unaware, the Brothers' Home, an internment camp operating in Busan during the 1970s and 1980s, was ostensibly created to shelter homeless individuals. Instead, it became a site of rampant human rights abuses, where thousands of innocent people, including children, were forcibly confined.
Under the pretext of "cleaning the streets" ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, individuals were kidnapped and subjected to forced labor, starvation, and physical abuse.
More information about the Brother's Home and other speculated inspirations behind Squid Game 2
Accounts from survivors of the Brother's Home detail brutal conditions, including punishments labeled as "games" and a militaristic hierarchy that encouraged inmates to abuse one another. The facility's leader, Park In-keun, was arrested in 1987 but received a lenient sentence of two and a half years for embezzlement. Many of the camp's atrocities remain unpunished, and survivors continue to fight for justice.
These haunting realities have led some to draw comparisons between the Brothers' Home and the fictionalized cruelty of Squid Game, though Hwang Dong-hyuk has not confirmed any direct inspiration.
While Squid Game is not a factual recounting of events, the series delves into stark socio-economic themes that resonate with real-world struggles. The plot revolves around Seong Gi-hun, a man drowning in debt, who joins a deadly competition to win a massive cash prize. The games, based on childhood activities, serve as an allegory for the extreme competition and class disparities in modern society.
Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that his inspiration came from Japanese works like Battle Royale and Liar Game, as well as his own financial hardships. The 2009 Ssangyong Motor Strike, in which workers faced mass layoffs and intense protests, directly influenced Gi-hun's backstory. Through these references, Hwang aimed to show how anyone in today's world could fall from middle-class stability to economic ruin.
Ultimately, while the series echoes the harsh realities of exploitation and inequality, it remains a work of fiction. Viral theories linking it to specific events like the Brothers' Home are speculative, but they highlight the enduring impact of the series' unsettling themes on viewers.
