Park Sung Hoon Gets Loud With His Criticism Against Transgender Portrayals In Korean Media

Actor Park Sung Hoon, who played the character of a transgender woman, Hyun Joo, in Netflix‘s Squid Game 3, talked about the responsibility he felt toward representing her sensitively.

The actor sat down with InStyle recently to talk about his approach toward playing Hyun Joo’s character, acknowledging how Korean media has not done the job well in previous instances.

“Honestly, the transgender characters that we’ve had in Korea before Hyun Joo have been written flatly and like a caricature,” he admitted, adding that he felt a firm responsibility to avoid portraying Hyun Joo the same way.

I believed Hyun Joo shouldn’t be a caricature at all. I tried to avoid exaggerated expressions and vocal tones. I focused on her inner self, her sincerity, and how she treated others.

— Park Sung Hoon

With Squid Game‘s continued global success, Park Sung Hoon’s portrayal of Hyun Joo has brought him widespread appreciation. His performance successfully made the character well-rounded and a character viewers grew to love.

In a previous interview with Today News on June 21, the actor addressed the topic with even more sensitivity, expressing his gratitude for the transgender community’s acceptance of him as a cisgender male actor portraying a trans woman.

This critical success has been an even more significant achievement for Park, given the initial pushback against his character in the series. You can read more about it here:

“Squid Game 2” Transgender Character Sparks Major Reactions Amid Controversial Casting