"My Life Has Never Seen This" The 'Gonggi Master' Featured in Squid Game 2

Gonggi Nori Hand Double Actor Shares Behind-the-Scenes Story on SNS

The story of the stunt double who filmed the scene of actor Kang Ha-neul playing Gonggi Nori in the Netflix drama 'Squid Game Season 2' has been revealed.

Park Jong-nam (left), who appeared as a master of Gonggi Nori on SBS's "Master of Living," revealed that he appeared as a hand double for actor Kang Ha-neul in the Netflix drama "Squid Game Season 2." Photo by SBS and Park Jong-nam's Instagram capture

On the 26th, Mr. Park Jong-nam, who appeared as a stunt double in 'Squid Game Season 2,' opened up on his Instagram with the words, "Netflix debut! Not appearing as a squid but as a hand double." He said he received a phone call two days before his wedding in October 2023. The caller said they got his contact information from the PD of Master of Living and requested his appearance, saying, "I can't reveal much, but it's a global OTT platform and they need a hand scene playing Gonggi Nori." Park appeared on SBS's 'Master of Living' in 2021 as a Gonggi Nori master, showcasing his impressive skills by successfully performing the "breaking" move with 10 Gonggi stones.

He said, "I wondered what playing Gonggi was. Until then, I thought it was just an example of a Gonggi game on 'The Genius.'" Since he had taken a day off the day before his wedding, he went down to Daejeon the next day for filming after receiving the call. Park said, "When I got to Daejeon, I signed a lot of strict confidentiality agreements," and added, "They invited me to have lunch first, and at the restaurant, I was with (actors) Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, Kang Ha-neul, a director, and the production director who contacted me." He continued, "In my life, I never thought I would have a meal at the same table with such famous actors. We talked about how I happened to be good at Gonggi, congratulated me on my wedding the next day, and so on. It was a pity that because of confidentiality, I couldn't take a single photo or get an autograph despite the famous actors celebrating our wedding so warmly."

Park Jong-nam, who appeared on SBS's 'Masters of Living' and showcased impressive skill in Gonggi play. Photo by SBS

Park recalled, "The filming was not difficult since it was a one-take from the first stage to the breaking move, but I was very nervous because I had to do a three-legged race with the actors." He added, "We filmed about twice and finished sooner than expected." He also said, "What impressed me was Kang Ha-neul constantly helping me relax before and after filming. He even asked me to teach him how to play Gonggi, and we kicked Jegi together. After filming, he gave me Seongsimdang chive bread to give to my wife. Now I understand why everyone talks so much about Kang Ha-neul."

Park said, "I kept it a secret for a year," and added, "Since I appeared anyway, I hope it does even better. Squid Game fighting!" showing his support.

Meanwhile, according to the official Netflix site, the viewing time for 'Squid Game Season 2,' released on the 26th of last month, was recorded at 487.6 million hours in the fourth week of December last year (23rd?29th). It ranked first in the non-English TV category and was overwhelming compared to the English TV category and English/non-English film categories during the same period.

Based on the first week of release, it broke the previous record of 448.73 million hours set by the predecessor 'Squid Game Season 1' in the fourth week of September 2021 (20th?26th), achieving the highest viewing time.