‘Squid Game’: 4 Interesting Facts About Wi Ha-jun
Squid Game has become the latest Netflix sensation. The South Korean survival series follows a group of contestants playing deadly childhood games for a chance to win a 456 million won ($38 million) grand prize. Aside from the players, an undercover cop named Hwang Jun-ho infiltrates the operation disguised as a masked figure.
Wi Ha-jun plays the young detective on a mission to shut down the games after learning about the deadly horrors. Also, he is trying to find his missing older brother. The rising star is taking the world by storm, most notably known for starring in blockbuster films and Korean dramas. Here is everything we know about the 30-year-old actor.
Wi Ha-jun grew up on an abalone farm
Wi was born on Aug. 5, 1991. He grew up in Wando, a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. During a special appearance on a South Korean variety show called Problem Child in House, Wi revealed that he grew up in the countryside. Additionally, he shared that his father owns an abalone farm, where he sells expensive raw fish that is popular in South Korea.
He enjoys spending time with his niece
Although his Instagram feed consists of gym pics and selfies, Wi Ha-jun has posted a few videos with his niece. He recently posted a video of him and his niece playing on a swing set in a playground. Referring to her as “beloved princess,” it’s such an adorable scene to watch.
He is a rising drama actor in South Korea
Wi made his acting debut in 2012. As a member of MSTeam Entertainment, the actor has starred in popular blockbuster films and television series. His first lead role was in the 2018 horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. Based on a real-life psychiatric hospital, the show followed a web series crew traveling to an abandoned asylum to broadcast their stay and gain publicity.
He went on to play more minor roles in K-drama rom coms like Something in the Rain (2018), 18 Again (2020), and Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) – Wi’s outstanding performance earned him a Best New Actor nomination at South Korea’s Baeksang Arts Awards.
The young actor recently played a villainous role in the 2021 film Midnight, portraying a serial killer that stalks a deaf woman. In a 2018 interview with Arirang, Wi always wanted to play the villain in film or television series. “Since I was young, I dreamed of playing antagonists and doing action sequences,” he said, “There are many characters I want to try.”
After his breakout performance in Squid Game, Wi will star in a police drama titled Bad and Crazy, set to premiere in December 2021. The drama follows Soo Yeol, a detective who fights police injustices with a hidden persona called “K,” which awakens inside him. Wi Ha-jun will play “K,” the persona that Soo Yeol possesses.
Wi Ha-jun is a talented dancer and singer
Not only is Wi Ha-jun a talented actor, but the Squid Game star can sing and dance as well. For instance, he sang the OST for the 2018 K-drama Matrimonial Crisis. In an old 2016 clip, Wi danced to TWICE’s single “Cheer Up.” Fans praised the actor’s spot-on dance moves on Twitter, noting that he brought a lot of enthusiasm to the performance.
In an interview with SBS’s Cultwo Show, Wi revealed he was a dance team member in his school days. “There was nowhere to learn it formally as it was in the countryside, but I did dance covers,” he explained. “I danced to a TVXQ song when I was in middle school.”
Also, he recently told SBS’s Power FM that he had a strong interest in dance since a young age. “I wasn’t a trainee, but I had lots of interest in dance. To be a part of a performance group, I even went all the way to Seoul,” he shared. “After that, as I attended acting classes, I naturally thought about being an actor seriously.”
Squid Game is streaming now on Netflix.
