‘Squid Game’ comes to life in Seoul as fans from across the globe join event

SEOUL — Foreign nationals from around the world gathered in Gwanghwamun Square on Thursday to take part in a real-life version of “Squid Game” — except this time, their lives weren’t at stake.

Eighty-two participants from 33 countries donned green tracksuits emblazoned with unique identification numbers as K-pop music blasted in the background and the participants played classic Korean playground games with strangers they had just met.

“The ‘Squid Game’ is the highlight of my trip to South Korea. We’re only here for five days, and I’m spending an entire day on this game with my mother,” Cherry Bernardo from the Philippines, told ABC News.

Her 76-year-old mother, Evelyn Bernardo, was the oldest contestant.

“When I signed up, I thought my mom might remind people of Player 001 from the first season of ‘Squid Game,’” Bernardo said.

The event kicked off with the paper-flipping game known as “ddakji,” followed by tug of war, jump rope and red light, green light. In the original Netflix series, losing meant death, while the lone winner received a massive jackpot. But on Thursday, winners collected marbles and the participant with the most at the end of the day would be declared the winner.

“Our team made it to the tug of war finals but, unfortunately, didn’t win,” said Christina Chin, a passionate fan of Korean culture who joined after seeing the Korea Tourism Organization’s YouTube channel. “I especially enjoyed tug of war. It’s been ages since I last played.”

After lunch, participants were given honeycomb candies, called “dalgona,” along with a needle to carefully carve out the pattern. Some even licked the candy to soften it — a trick used by contestants in the show.

The event wrapped up near the Han River, where players enjoyed popular Korean night snacks — “chimaek,” a pairing of fried chicken and beer, and instant “ramyeon,” Korea’s version of ramen.

The day’s winner collected 11 marbles in total and took home a set of porcelain wine glasses while the other participants received a “Squid Game” uniform and small souvenirs as keepsakes.

The Korea Tourism Organization organized the event following the enthusiastic global response to its “Squid Game”–themed YouTube advertisement, “Escape to Korea: Better Run,” which has garnered more than 27 million views and over 7,000 comments since its release.

“We put in a lot of effort to make participants feel like they were part of the actual ‘Squid Game,’” Han Yeo-ok, director of the Korea Tourism Organization’s Brand Content Team, told ABC News. “Upon arrival, we handed out invitation cards identical to the ones featured in our YouTube video.”