Who played guard 29 in Squid Game?

Squid Game is a cultural phenomenon, gripping audiences across the globe. We introduce you to number 29, aka detective Joon-ho, and clarify his infiltration sub-plot.

Warning major spoilers ahead!

Squid Game breaks Netflix records

The hit-new Korean drama Squid Game has taken the world by storm, reaching the top spot in Netflix’s top 10 in over 90 countries worldwide.

The show follows 456 people who are in extraordinary amounts of debt, as they enter the Squid Game, in order to try and win 45.6 billion won ($38 million). However, little do they know that if they lose one of these children’s games, they die.

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Squid Game | Official Trailer | Netflix

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Squid Game | Official Trailer | Netflix

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Who is guard number 29 in Squid Game?

The original number 29 is an anonymous guard who’s identity is assumed by detective Joon-ho (Wi Ha-jun) on the ferry to the Squid Game compound. The police officer is interested in the Squid Game because his brother has gone missing and he believes the two events to be linked.

Number 29, now Joon-ho, has to act quickly to take on the role of the guard, learning the rules of the organisation, such as not speaking to your superior unless spoken to, and figuring out what his next-door neighbour, number 28, wants from him.

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He began communicating with guard number 28 at night in their rooms through morse code. Number 28 would cough and try and share information with number 29 because they were both divers, working covertly on an illegal organ harvesting operation.

However, Joon-ho missed the first night of this activity because he wasn’t aware of number 29’s illegal activities. Soon the detective infiltrates this group and begins to search for his brother, he even confronts guard number 28 in order to find out information about previous winners of the Squid Game.

Number 29 then goes on the run, after he is discovered missing from his room. However, he soon uncovers the identity of the game’s front man, and it is none other than his very own brother!

Twitter explodes with number 29 edits

Many fans have fallen in love with detective Joon-ho, but have also taken to Twitter to edit in their own favourite celebrities in the place of number 29 once he reveals his identity behind his mask.

You can check out Squid Game on Netflix right now.

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Olivia Olphin is an English Literature graduate and a film and literature fanatic. She has many years of reviewing experience, recently working as accredited press for the London Film Festival. She has also written widely about culture and sex education, as well as LGBTQ+ and women's issues.

A group of Masked Men

The Guards, otherwise known as Pink Soldiers or Masked Men, are the staff who manage, upkeep, and enforce the rules of the Squid Games on behalf of the Front Man.

Guards all wear the same base clothing in order to preserve anonymity. This is the pink hooded jumpsuit, black gloves and black boots, and a permeated mask to hide their identity. These masks have one of three symbols which indicates their ranking.

Ranking

Managers | □

Managers are the ground commanders who act on the direct orders of the Front Man. Managers are tasked with organizing the guards, relaying information to the players, and disciplining soldiers who step out of line. The Front Man trusts these guards the most. This is the highest rank of the staff on the island.

Soldiers | △

Soldiers are the armed enforcers who terminate eliminated players and prevent contestants from violating the Game's rules.

Workers | ◯

Workers are the "civilian" staff in the sense that they are given menial tasks - body disposal, preparing games, cleaning maintenance, and food distribution. Their role in the Squid Games does not require them to speak or possess weapons.

Mannerisms

The instructional sign displayed in Worker's rooms.

All guards display the same indifference towards the contestants, with their concealed identity and homogenous uniforms a common dehumanization method. Guards are not seen to react to the deaths of contestants through their body language.

Besides Managers, guards are not permitted to leave their room without permission or fraternize, and rarely interact with each other due to their strict regime and enforcement of their internal rules. A sign displayed in Number 29's room translates to:

1. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR MASK OUTSIDE OF YOUR ROOM
2. DO NOT CONVERSE WITHOUT PERMISSION
3. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ROOM WITHOUT PERMISSION

It is therefore unclear whether the guards work for the Squid Games on their own accord or against their will.

Known Guards

Unnamed Manager (The Man with the Umbrella)

Unnamed Manager

An unnamed Manager (portrayed by Lee Jung-jun) who oversaw the guards in the second game, Sugar Honeycombs. He noticed that Number 29 was not doing his job and asked him to see him after the game was over. However, at the end of the game, Player 119, who had failed to cut out his honeycomb, stabbed a soldier through his mask into the eye with his needle, then shot and held the wounded Manager at gunpoint, demanding him to unmask himself. After realizing how young the manager was, 119 killed himself instead. However, as he had exposed his face, the Front Man arrived and executed him.

Worker Number 28

Number 28

Worker No. 28 was a corrupt Worker helping Player 111, a former doctor, to dissect and sell the organs of deceased players on the black market. After confronted by Hwang Jun-ho (Number 29), he was held at gunpoint. After offering him to work together and sell the organs, the officer showed no mercy and shot the worker, killing him and burying his body in the water.

Worker Number 29

Number 29

Worker No. 29 was a corrupt Worker working alongside Number 28. Hwang Jun-ho disguises as Number 29 after killing him in The Man with the Umbrella.

Unnamed Soldier (A Fair World)

Unnamed Soldier

Sir, I'm sorry-

The Soldier's last words before being shot by The Front Man

An unnamed Soldier (portrayed by Yoon Yeong-geol) who was working alongside another soldier and Number 28 in the corrupt scheme to sell organs. In A Fair World, when Player 111 snapped, this Soldier followed him to the Sugar Honeycombs venue, where he removed his mask and weapon to peacefully confront 111, secretly concealing a knife behind his back. Just before he was going to stab Player 111, he is shot by the Front Man for ruining the game's principle of equality. He is confronted by him. As he gets up and says sorry, he is shot again by the Front Man, killing him.

Unnamed Soldier (The Man With The Umbrella)

An unnamed soldier went over to Player 119 to check if he had successfully cut out his assigned shape from his piece of sugar honeycomb. When 119 revealed that he had failed to cut out his assigned shape from his piece of sugar honeycomb, the soldier pointed his gun at him, about to shoot him, when he used the needle given to him to stab the unnamed soldier in the eye. Needle was not long and powerful enough to penetrate the skull, so he probably survived the stab.

Trivia

• Originally, their uniforms were supposed to resemble boy scout uniforms. However, wearing those uniforms exposed too much skin, which went against the rule of preserving anonymity. They were replaced with jumpsuits.[1]
• The symbols on their mask were identical to the buttons of the PlayStation controller, without the X.
• Soldiers seem to be allowed to speak at specific moments, such as after the Special Round and accepting a request during Marbles.

References

1. ↑ The Squid Game Cast React To Their Own Show | Netflix

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