Fans of the Netflix megahit "Squid Game" can now glimpse the South Korean survival thriller during Expo 2020 Dubai.
Squid Game's features are part of a series of Korean events being held at the country's specialized pavilion, watched by 142 million households since its September 17 debut, helping Netflix add 4.38 million new customers.
According to Netflix, Squid Game is the most popular TV show that the company has ever launched in its first season.
In the show, 456 indebted participants are unexpectedly summoned to an island off the coast of South Korea to participate in children's activities for a large financial prize, with life-or-death stakes.
Until November 14, visitors to the South Korea pavilion can play the typical children's games depicted in the series – but without the dreaded "elimination."
The pavilion's staff will be costumed in the renowned guards' uniforms and stage their own "Squid Game."
Guests are invited to take a clean, unbroken shape from a dalgona — a popular candy spotted on Korean streets – as part of the Dalgona Game Event. The winner gets everything: a packet of Korean instant noodles, to be exact.
From Korean cuisine to the growing appeal of its entertainment sector – which includes K-pop stars, Netflix megahits, and Oscar-winning films – the Republic of Korea's cultural exports are causing the rest of the world to take notice.
Squid Game isn't the only way to raise awareness about the country's culture.
Knowledge of Korean culture
Stocks in the country's thriving entertainment sector, including everything from K-pop bands to movies, have soared since the drama's premiere in mid-September. The box office triumph of Parasite preceded the cult craze. This 2019 comedy thriller won six Academy Awards for its dark yet captivating examination of the rich-poor divide.
When it comes to confronting complex topics, BTS, K-most pop's famous band, doesn't hold back.
According to Forbes, the band's prominent members earned $50 million in 2020, putting them among the top 50 celebrity earners in the world. Instead of focusing on love, their music explores bullying, elitism, and mental health. Their international fame has led to a collaboration with Coldplay on the tune My Universe, an anthem that echoes Expo's goal of bringing people from all over the world together.
Stray Kids, an eight-member boy band, the official ambassadors of the Expo 2020's Republic of Korea Pavilion, is another huge K-pop draw with 34 million social media followers.
On their calendars, fans should put January 16, 2022, as the feisty octet will perform at Expo 2020 to commemorate the Republic of Korea's National Day.
Expo 2020 will include Korean cuisine.
In 2021, one of the hottest trends on plates will be Korean cuisine. The fact that people flock to the Republic of Korea Pavilion's K-Food restaurant – dubbed but accurately K-Food – attests to this. National delicacies like kimchi, Korean barbeque, fried mandoo (dumplings), combo pancakes, hot pots, and jjigae are on the menu (Korean stew).
Expo 2020 Dubai organizers announced this week that around 1.5 million visitors had visited the world's most significant cultural gathering in the first three weeks since it opened its doors.
Expo 2020, which will run until March 31, 2022, has welcomed visitors from all over the world to participate in the creation of a new world during a six-month celebration of human creativity, innovation, progress, and culture.
