Squid Game 2 cast play South-East Asian games like five stones and sepak takraw

In K-drama Squid Game (2021 to present), players take on children’s games for a hefty cash prize in the hit Netflix series. But how would the cast fare playing children’s games known to Singaporean and regional audiences?

In a Dec 31 video posted by Netflix, Season 2’s stars such as Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-jun, Yim Si-wan, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul and Yang Dong-geun attempted different children’s games from around the world, including South-east Asia. Meanwhile, a masked guard in a pink jumpsuit, resembling the ones from the show who gun down eliminated players, stood and watched.

Series lead Lee, who reprises his role as player Seong Gi-hun, kicked off the video with a game of tumbang preso. The traditional game from the Philippines challenges players to knock down an empty can from a distance using a slipper.

The 52-year-old actor tried multiple times, but did not succeed. Blaming the slipper, he said: “Given the slipper’s light weight, there’s something scientific about its curve that makes it air resistant.”

The cast also played two games that Netflix said came from Malaysia and Singapore: goli panjang, also known as marbles, and batu seremban, or five stones.

Kang, who plays a former South Korean Marine in the series, tried goli panjang, which called for him to hit a row of marbles using another small ball. At one point, the 34-year-old actor thought closing his eyes would do the trick. But he did not hit a single marble.

After his many failed attempts, Kang said with a laugh to the guard: “I’m sorry, please don’t shoot me.”

In contrast, Park, 39, who plays the breakout fan favourite character of a transgender woman, managed to ace batu seremban on his first try. It involved throwing and catching five fabric balls (or “stones”) in various configurations. South Korea has a similar version of the game called gonggi, which makes its appearance in Season 2.

Yang, 45, plays a gambler who takes part in the game due to his crushing debt in Squid Game. He tried sepak takraw, a game of kick volleyball which is popular in South-east Asia, including Singapore.

He needed to bounce the ball three times in a row, and took off his shoes to better his chances. But he did not succeed, even accidentally landing in a split after he failed to kick the ball once.

“That was a genuine sound of despair,” he said, after he exclaimed in frustration.

Other South-east Asian games played include gasing – the Malay spinning top – which Lee and Park succeeded in spinning for a full five seconds. There was also mak kep, a Thai version of five stones, which K-pop idol and actor Yim managed to conquer.

The video also showed the cast, including actresses Jo Yu-ri and Park Gyu-young, playing games such as musical chairs and the Vietnamese choi chuyen, which involves throwing a small ball into the air, then attempting to catch it while grabbing sticks from the table at the same time.

Meanwhile, heart-throb Wi, who reprises his role as a detective, tried the Swedish game of kubb – a lawn game that typically involves knocking over wooden blocks – and the Indian game of marbles, kanche.

Since its premiere on Dec 26, Squid Game 2 has attracted more than 68 million views, topping Netflix’s streaming charts globally and marking the biggest debut ever for an original series by the platform.