“Player 196… eliminated.”
On February 16th, 2025, South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was found dead inside her home at 24 years old. The police listed her cause of death as suicide. Since an alleged drunk driving incident in 2022, the actress had faced backlash and hate, derailing her career. Her death caused an outrage amongst fans, who blamed South Korea’s high-pressure entertainment industry. However, there is another reason why fans are so upset over the tragedy.
Recently, the second season of “Squid Game” became a huge commercial success. Millions of fans took to social media platforms to celebrate the new season. But when Kim’s death also hit the news, some fans began to grieve in an unexpected way. On apps like TikTok, users would comment phrases like “Squid Games in real life” or “Player 196 is eliminated,” implying that Kim’s death in Squid Game had “come true.” Seemingly, they all forgot that Player 196 was played by actress Song Ji-woo, not Kim Sae-ron. In fact, Kim had never even made an appearance in the show. Not only were these remarks extremely disrespectful to the late actress, but they were also blatantly racist. It is not okay for users to compare Kim to a whole other actress, just because the two are both Korean and have appeared in K-dramas. Comparing a real-life death to one in a show is reducing Kim’s suicide to a joke on the internet. Kim should be remembered for her success in the industry, not for a show she was not even a part of.
This culture of disrespecting celebrities even after their passing is not new in the entertainment industry. Record labels and studios have been continuously releasing late artists’ music with the ulterior motives of gaining profit. The name for this act is posthumous release or publication, and it has had wide-reaching impacts on how people remember musicians. For instance, Lil Peep, American rapper and singer-songwriter, died after an accidental drug overdose in 2017. But ironically, he has technically released more music after his passing than during his lifetime. While a large amount of the revenue he makes goes to family or managers, his former producer receives the largest cut. This is making people question the morality of releasing songs after an artist’s passing, as nobody knows whether or not these late musicians would even want that music to be published. Other examples include XXXTentacion and Juice WRLD, who have had multiple records and albums released after their deaths to assist the label’s gains even when doing so is hidden behind “respect.” Sophomore Rion Kanatsu shared her thoughts.
“I think that it’s important to respect people, especially when dealing with sensitive cases,” Kanatsu said. “Many people are affected through grief and loss.”
Celebrities are people too, and it is important to respect them. Comparing deaths to memes, being discriminatory, releasing music without permission, and more acts of posthumous disrespect are rightfully being questioned by the media. This is not “Squid Game” or another K-drama, it is real life and deaths should be taken seriously. Let celebrities rest in peace.
