- Fans have been dissecting each player’s role in Squid Game season 2
- Player 196 is one of the first contestants we meet
- Who was the actor behind the role?
Now that Squid Game season 2 is out in the wild, fans have been asking all kinds of questions about its twists, turns and secrets – like who is player 196?
Throughout director Hwand Dong-hyuk’s seven new episodes, we’re introduced to a batch of new characters. Each comes face to face with our reluctant hero Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) as he enters a new Squid Game with a new goal.
Read more: Actress Kim Sae-ron death compared to real-life Squid Game
Instead of simply surviving its deadly childhood games, Gi-hun makes it his mission to convince his fellow cash-strapped players that the Squid Game isn’t the answer to their problems.
That said, it’s easier said than done. Joining him is the game’s evil overseer the Front Man (Lee Byun-hun), who has removed his sinister mask to hide in plain sight and secretly derail Gi-hun’s every move.
Read more: What is Squid Game Thanos star T.O.P’s net worth?
Then there’s purple-haired wildcard Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun AKA T.O.P), a drug-addled rapper who causes chaos wherever he goes. It didn’t take long for this particular character to become a fan favorite.
What about player 196? This unassuming hopeful is one of the first people we meet in Squid Game season 2.
Here’s what you need to know about her.
Who played Player 196 in Squid Game?
South Korean actress Song Ji-woo portrays Player 196 in Squid Game season 2. When she’s not in the game, her character’s real name is Kang Mi-na.
Ji-woo is 27-years-old and has appeared in a number of Korean television series. These include 2019 romantic fantasy Extraordinary You, 2022’s The Forbidden Marriage and 2023’s time travel mystery A Time Called You.
Following the death of South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron in early February 2025, some fans mistakenly thought the star had appeared in Squid Game season 2. However, Sae-ron did not feature in the series.
What does Player 196 do in Squid Game season 2?
After being introduced to Player 196 early on in Squid Game season 2, we learn that she is in 56 million won worth of debt. The reasons behind this remain a mystery. Unfortunately, she doesn’t last long enough for us to find out much about her back story.
She plays Red Light, Green Light, a game where players must avoid being spotted by a giant killer doll. During the game, Thanos approaches her and notices a bee land on her during a period where each player is supposed to remain perfectly still.
Panicking, she moves and is swiftly dispatched by the game’s killer doll. With that, she becomes the first player to lose their life in Squid Game season 2.
