Lee Joo-sil death: Squid Game actor dies, aged 81
Lee Joo-sil death: Squid Game actor dies, aged 81
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Actor appeared in the second season of Netflix’s hit drama. Squid Game star Lee Joo-sil has died months after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. The performer, who played the mother of undercover detective Hwang Joon-ho in the second season of Netflix’s smash hit dystopian drama, was diagnosed with the disease in November. Born in 1944, Lee began her acting career in the Sixties with roles in stage productions and as a voice actor, before landing a steady string of roles in K-dramas.
![[Lee Joo-sil played the mother of Hwang Joon-ho in ‘Squid Game’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/02/15/588697_4751234_updates-copy.jpg)
As well as appearing in Squid Game, she also starred in the 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan, playing Mrs Woo, the grandmother of protagonist Seok-woo. She also had a long-standing role in the K-drama The Uncanny Counter, which follows a group of paranormal hunters on the search for evil spirits from the afterlife. Lee played Jang Chun-ok, the grandmother of main character So Mun in the series, which is also available to stream on Netflix.
![[‘Squid Game’ is set to return for its third and final season this year]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/30/15/30/Squid-Game-season-3.jpeg)
The actor was previously diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in her fifties and was given less than one year to live, according to The Chosun Ilbo. However, she eventually received the all-clear from doctors 13 years later. It is not yet known whether Lee will appear in the third and final season of Squid Game, which is set to land on the streaming service in June this year. The second series of the acclaimed drama topped Netflix’s most-viewed charts in 92 countries around the world, and received the most views ever for a show in its first week, according to the streamer.
