What Happens To The Mother And Son In Squid Game Season 3 (And How It Changes Everything)

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This article contains a discussion of suicide.

It’s likely unwise to engage in any of the life-threatening games from Squid Game with a loved one, especially if you haven’t finished watching the third and concluding season. If you haven’t yet caught up on the series, I advise halting your reading here as spoilers are imminent!

In the second season of “Squid Game,” we encounter several new characters following Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), having won the life-threatening games with a substantial cash prize, returning as Player 456 in an attempt to dismantle the enigmatic organization from within. Among them are a pair: Park Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), a former gambler burdened by heavy debts, and his mother Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim), a Korean War survivor who raised him as a single parent. They are recognized within the games as Player 007 and Player 149. Throughout Season 2, there’s a rule that allows players to vote after every game about whether or not they wish to continue; despite his mother’s objections, Yong-sik persists in voting to carry on, hoping to accumulate as much money as possible to pay off his substantial debts.

In the games depicted in Season 2, such as Mingle where players must strategically group together or face deadly consequences, there was a moment when Yong-sik seemingly betrayed his mother. However, by the start of Season 3, their bond remained unbroken. As for the fate of Yong-sik and Geum-ja, they meet a tragic end in Season 3, an event that significantly influences the remainder of the season and the series as a whole.

After overcoming the game (in a way) during Season 2 of Squid Game, Geum-ja and Yong-sik face a brutal decision in Season 3

During a chat with Entertainment Weekly following the end of “Squid Game” Season 2, its creator Hwang Dong-hyuk discussed an intriguing yet grim parallel: The Netflix spin-off series, “Squid Game: The Challenge,” surprisingly had participants who were a mother and son. Interestingly, neither character perished in the game – both Yang Dong-geun and Kang Ae-shim expressed their thoughts on Yong-sik’s perceived deceit… and the fact that the duo reunite afterwards.

In discussing the crucial scene involving Yong-sik and Geum-ja, Yang shared his struggle with figuring out the appropriate emotion to portray. ‘We repeatedly filmed this scene, take after take…’, he explained. ‘On a personal note, I have a strained relationship with my own mother, who can be quite intimidating and aloof. So, it felt odd to replicate that dynamic on set and to convincingly act out their bond.’ He found it challenging to convincingly depict this emotional connection truthfully, as it contrasted significantly with his actual life experiences.

In essence, Kang stated, “They’re engaged in a game with life and death at stake.” However, it seems that instead of dwelling on his betrayal, her primary concern is ensuring her son’s survival. Since he is alive, other events that happened during the course of this game appear less significant to her.

The brief joy she felt from knowing her son survived is quickly overshadowed when you realize that Squid Game’s Season 3 begins right where Season 2 ended. In this continuation, Geum-ja finds herself in a dire situation, facing the agonizing choice between her own child and an entirely innocent life. Ultimately, she makes a soul-crushing decision.

Geum-ja is forced to kill her own child to save another … and then grapples with her grief in the most devastating way possible

In an intense game of hide and seek, the players are divided into two teams – red and blue. The objective for the red team is to ‘eliminate’ or ‘tag’ the blue team members, while the blue team must navigate a labyrinth of doors using keys provided at the start, with the goal of escaping. In this scenario, Yong-sik and Geum-ja find themselves on opposite sides, with Yong-sik wearing a red vest and Geum-ja in blue attire. Despite their friendship, they make a pact not to engage each other during the game.

As the game unfolds, Geum-ja, along with a former South Korean soldier (Cho Hyun-ju), her ally (Park Sung-hoon), and another player named Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri, who is pregnant and injured), work together to help Jun-hee navigate the game.

In a secluded room, Hyun-ju, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee take refuge, with Hyun-ju serving as lookout and fending off any assaults from the red team members. A sudden turn of events occurs when Jun-hee goes into labor. Even in the most concealed location at the worst possible time, Geum-ja assists Jun-hee in delivering a healthy baby. Unfortunately, Hyun-ju is fatally struck by Lee Myung-gi, Player 333, who is on the red team and happens to be Jun-hee’s baby’s father. As Geum-ja and Jun-hee are left reeling from this shocking turn of events, Yong-sik enters the room. Initially overjoyed at his presence, Geum-ja soon realizes that Yong-sik intends to harm the newborn to advance further in the game.

In the previous episode, Geum-ja fatally stabbed her own son in tears, and later, she was found dead by suicide, hanging in her sleeping quarters within the game’s setting. Despite this harrowing act of taking both her son’s life and her own, Geum-ja made an extraordinary sacrifice to ensure the safety of a completely unaware baby, born into these gruesome games. This heartbreaking conclusion to their mother-son relationship is typical of the Squid Game series, currently streaming on Netflix.

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2025-06-27 12:30