I thought he handled the character with empathy. Definitely one of the more interesting characters in the show.

While Park did not directly address the backlash, he noted in a January 8 interview with local reporters that he approached the role with “caution,” and consulted with actual trans people in an effort to make sure Hyun-ju would not come off as a “caricature,” according to Korea JoongAng Daily, the English language edition of South Korean daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.

Hwang, meanwhile, addressed criticism of his casting of Park late last month, telling TVGuide.com that while he initially intended to cast a transgender actress, “there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking.”

In a subsequent interview with Decider, Hwang explained why he felt it was important to include a trans character in the show’s second season.

“I saw the people who come to join the games in Squid Game as people who are usually marginalized or neglected from society, and not just financially speaking,” he said. “Today, unfortunately, in Korean society, the gender minority is a group that is not as accepted widely within society. Which is why I created the character Hyun-ju as a male to female transgender woman.”

Compared to the caricatures that were so many of the other characters, the trans one seemed pretty damn grounded. She was my favourite character too.