Sun Jun 29 08:00:00 UTC 2025: ## ‘Squid Game’ Star Park Sung-hoon on Heartbreaking Hyun-ju Exit: ‘She Died Earlier Than She Should Have’

**LOS ANGELES, CA** – *Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for Season 3, Episode 2 of “Squid Game,” now streaming on Netflix.*

Park Sung-hoon, the actor behind the fan-favorite character Cho Hyun-ju in “Squid Game,” opened up about the character’s shocking and emotional death in Season 3. In a recent interview with Variety, Park discussed the challenges and rewards of playing Hyun-ju, a trans woman fighting to survive the deadly games and secure funds for her gender-affirming surgery.

Hyun-ju, who quickly became a leader and strategist after partnering with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) in Season 2, meets a tragic end in the chaotic hide-and-seek game. After initially finding the exit, she bravely returns to save two fellow players, Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim) and the newborn baby of Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri), ultimately sacrificing herself when she is stabbed in the back by Lee Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan).

Park confessed that saying goodbye to Hyun-ju was difficult, especially given the character’s early departure. “It was very hard for me to say goodbye to her, because I thought she would last longer. I think she died earlier than she should have, so it’s a shame,” he said.

He elaborated on Hyun-ju’s motivations in the final season, shifting from personal gain to protecting the vulnerable. “In Season 3, her big motivation became protecting the weaker woman here, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee’s newborn baby as well.”

Park also shared insights into filming the intense action sequences and the emotional weight of Hyun-ju witnessing the birth of Jun-hee’s child, which she found to be “such a holy and sacred thing.”

The actor expressed gratitude for the positive reception Hyun-ju received from the LGBTQ+ community, despite his being a cisgender actor in the role. He hopes that Hyun-ju’s story can promote understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.

“It’s always hard to say goodbye to your characters, but it’s especially hard if it’s Hyun-ju, who is such a cool character and such a nice person…Even though I’m a cisgender actor playing a transgender character, the LGBTQ+ community saw Hyun-ju under a very positive light. They loved, respected and supported her, and I’m just so eternally grateful for what they’ve done for her.”

Read More