Kim Sae-ron’s “Squid Game” Reality: Sulli, Goo Hara’s Tragic Echo

Bloodhounds Turns 2: Kim Sae Ron Recalls Dark, Fearful Past

When we celebrate the two-year anniversary of “Bloodhounds,” the story of Kim Sae-ron reminds us of the hardships she went through. People have described how Goo Hara lived, saying it was “Squid Game-like” because of the tough daily pressures and harsh public criticism faced by South Korean entertainers, as happened with Sulli and Goo Hara.

Kim Sae-ron was labelled as ‘troublemaker’ after being convicted of DUI, but many people on social media attacked her too harshly and frequently. Since perfection is expected from celebrities, her seemingly wrong move caused her to suffer serious harm straight away. After being dropped, her parts in Bloodhounds were mostly cut, taking the main actress away from a major Netflix project.

Because of gossip YouTubers and nameless commentors on the internet, the online crowd kept targeting her and prevented her from healing or letting go. While she took on part-time work under someone else’s name so she could earn money, people chased her, took her pictures, and insulted her online. Being accused of pretending to struggle allowed the abuse to escalate, so she felt she could not talk, was hated too much to heal, and stood alone without anyone to support her.

As a result of this shame, many professionals and critics say it bears strong resemblance to Squid Game. Society can treat one wrong move as a reason to get rid of someone, never giving that person a second chance and simply ignoring their life after their exit. It becomes clear when we remember the tragedies of Sulli and Goo Hara in 2019. Mixing in with the hatred from the public and online bullies, the artists chose to end their lives because they could not handle being judged for their personal routines.
Even though a lot of promises for action against internet harassment came after Sulli and Goo Hara passed away, not much has actually changed. Her story clearly shows how things have not progressed for people in her situation.

Her family claims that some online content creators caused her death and illustrates the deadly consequences of online bullying and the reality of a lack of safety protocols.

The story of Kim Sae-ron’s final chapters is disturbing. Authorities identified her reported suicide in late March 2025 as suicide, not foul play, and it is another tragic loss of life in an industry that may place image over mental health. She tried to make a comeback and even changed her name, but she faced constant resistance. It was a rigid reminder of an industry with rules that have zero tolerance for a well publicized poor choice at the expense of her image.

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The discussions continues about Kim Sae-ron in the public realm especially during “Bloodhounds”‘ two-year anniversary. It is a grim reminder to be more forgiving and kinder to celebrities in discourses around the culture of celebrity in South Korea, but how many more people’s lives need to be lost before society agrees to stop imposing such destructive, suffocating and shameful devotion on the public? The “Squid Game” scenario is real for some celebrity victims and not another episode in a beloved television series.

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