A scene from Netflix’s hit series Squid Game Season 2 ignited Vietnam controversy.
According to a report by Sports Chosun on Sunday, local Vietnamese media have highlighted a line referencing the Vietnam War in the new season, which has drawn significant backlash from viewers.
The controversial dialogue occurs between two characters: Kang Dae Ho (played by Kang Ha Neul), a former Marine, and Park Jung Bae (played by Lee Seo Hwan). In the scene, Kang Dae Ho mentions, “My father was a Vietnam War veteran,” Park Jung Bae responds, “Your father must be a great man.”
This exchange has been criticized in Vietnam, with many accusing the series of historical revisionism. Critics argue that the show glorifies South Korean soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War while downplaying the painful legacy of that conflict for the Vietnamese people.
The Vietnam War, a central chapter in the country’s struggle for independence and unification, followed the First Indochina War. During this time, South Korea, at the request of the United States, sent over 300,000 troops to Vietnam. For many in Vietnam, the war remains a source of profound national trauma and division.
The backlash has led to calls for a boycott of Squid Game Season 2 in Vietnam. According to local media, many Vietnamese viewers demand that Netflix Vietnam re-evaluate the show’s content and remove it from the platform entirely. A spokesperson from Vietnam’s film regulatory body stated, “We are currently reviewing whether Squid Game Season 2 violates our film laws. We will take appropriate action by our regulations.”
In response to the controversy, a Netflix Korea representative told Sports Chosun, “We have no comment at this time.”
Despite the controversy, Squid Game Season 2 continues to break records. According to Netflix’s Top 10 rankings, the show accumulated an impressive 487.6 million viewing hours during the fourth week of December (December 23-29). The series’ total runtime of 7 hours and 10 minutes equates to roughly 68 million complete views. This figure surpasses the record set by Squid Game Season 1, making it the most-watched Netflix series of all time.
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