Viewers believe Squid Game could be loosely based on “true events” that took place in South Korea in 1986. Popular social media theories claim Netflix‘s most-watched Korean drama could have drawn inspiration from real events at South Korea’s Brothers’ Home detention facility in 1986.
However, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has never confirmed any direct connection between the show and the Brothers’ Home incident.
Is Squid Game based on 1986’s true story of No Man’s Land in South Korea?
A popular theory regarding Squid Game being based on true events that took place in 1986 has gone viral. Fans have connected the inhumane, torturous games of Squid Game to a rumored story involving Brothers’ Home. A fan account theorized that Squid Game is based on events that happened in South Korea’s “No Man’s Land.” These events reportedly took place in 1986.
The account claimed, “It took place in a bunker in no man’s land in South Korea*, where people were held hostages and had to complete several games to survive. The host with inhuman-like thoughts was never.”
However, the complete story of the Brother’s Game remains unverified. According to an Al Jazeera report, Brothers’ Home was a real internment camp. Human rights abuses allegedly occurred there during the 1970s and 1980s. But no evidence links the facility to deadly games depicted in the series.
Additionally, Squid Game’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, hinted at what events inspired him to make certain characters of the show. In a chat with the New York Times, Dong-hyuk delved into the psyche of Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun.
The creator gushed, “The sense of urgency, the sense of crisis that weighs heavily on people’s daily lives, it allows anyone to easily relate to Gi-hun.” He added, “That I tackled the issues of society’s limitless competition through children’s games, that contrast appealed to a lot of people.”
In another interview, Dong-hyuk revealed that the SsangYong Motor Strike might have influenced the creation of Gi-hun’s backstory. He explained, “Through the reference to the SsangYong Motor layoffs, I wanted to show that any ordinary middle-class person in the world we live in today can fall to the bottom of the economic ladder overnight.” (Source: NME)
