When a Track Suit Embodies a Nation
The New York Times
Beyond their global appeal, the iconic outfits from “Squid Game” reveal a link to the history and culture of South Korea.
The dystopic, fantastical show “Squid Game” — a bloody, nine-episode thriller by South Korean director-writer Hwang Dong-hyuk that has been lauded for its searing critique of capitalist society — continues to be a worldwide sensation. Approximately 142 million people have streamed the series since its debut in September, according to Netflix, and its elaborate Chekhovian guns have set off fan theories about every imaginable element.
But it is worth taking another look at the numbered green track suits worn by the show’s main characters, for they offer a specific, symbolic window into Korean culture. Despite the global appeal of “Squid Game,” the ubiquitous, normcore outfits function as a commentary on the nation’s social classes, politics and history.
“The show is really talking about Korean society,” said Jae Won Chung, a literary translator and Korean studies professor at Rutgers University, in an interview. And when it comes to the track suits, “there are so many levels to it.”
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