Summary
Most Korean celebrities look younger than their actual age.Squid Gamestars have received the same compliments, but some fans are shocked after seeing an unedited photo of one of its leads.
Squid Gamebecame an instant hit when it debuted on Netflix in 2021. It was such a massive success that it was renewed for two more seasons. The streaming giant droppedSquid GameSeason 2 on July 30, 2025. During its premiere, one of the stars left fans shocked because the celebrity looked very different in the photo that circulated online. According to fans, they aged in the unedited picture.
Several cast members ofSquid GameSeason 2attended the show’s Los Angeles premiere, includingLee Jung-jae(Gi-hun, Player 456), Lee Byung-hun (the Front Man), Wi Ha-jun (Hwang Jun-ho), Jo Yu-ri (Kim Jun-hee, Player 222) and more. At the event, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Jung-jae, and an online user took a screenshot of the interview where the actor appeared to have aged. “Knets shocked with Korean dramas and movies editing after seeing [an] unedited video of Lee Jungjae on the Netflix red carpet,” a caption of the photo shared on X read. The photo received tons of reactions, with some sounding surprised because he looked much older in the picture than in the series.
However, many also defended Jung-jae. The Korean actor is already 52 and it’s normal to look old for their age. Some even find him looking too young for someone in their 50s. One said the person in the interview was just the same as the one in the series, but there was more lighting on the red carpet, so it highlighted Jung-jae’s features. Some argued that his makeup looked cakey, so he appeared older. Another said the unedited photo only confirmed that his face was natural. “Confirm he didn’t have plastic surgery [and] that’s his natural face. Unlike other Korean celebrities, their faces are Plastic surgery lol,” one online usercommented.Squid GameSeason 1and Season 2 were only three years apart. Another X user shared a side-by-side photo of Jung-jae from the first and second seasons and the two snaps also highlighted the significant changes in his appearance. “He aged rapidly,“one wrotein the comment section. In the first shot, he looked jolly, but in the second snap, he looked gloomy and miserable. The difference could be attributed to the changes in his character in the two seasons. Gi-hun was hopeful and bubbly when he joined the first tournament but was vengeful in Season 2 as he returned to take down those behind the deadly game.
There is no doubt that Jung-jae’s appearance has changed over the years, and it’s not totally surprising that he has aged. He is already in his 50s and it’s normal for anyone at that age to have wrinkles and visible pores. The intense reaction is probably due to the public’s expectations that celebrities should always look flawless, especially around cameras. However, not all of them care about their appearance all the time. Also, sometimes, their makeup and the lighting in the venue do not complement them, which was probably the case in Jung-jae’s viral photo.
