Lee Jung-jae, T.O.P's Influence on 'Ogem2' Casting? "No Involvement"

Agency Denies "Casting Is Director and Production Company's Authority"

Actor Lee Jung-jae denied allegations that he influenced the casting of T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun), former member of Big Bang, in the Netflix original series 'Squid Game 2'.

On the 29th, Lee Jung-jae stated through his agency Artist Company, "Reports claiming that I was involved in the casting of 'Squid Game 2' are not true."

Lee Jung-jae (left) Choi Seung-hyun (T.O.P) [Photo by Yonhap News, Asia Economy DB]

The agency emphasized, "Casting decisions are the authority of the director and the production company."

They added, "Lee Jung-jae is well aware that many actors are striving to appear in 'Squid Game 2' and that casting is decided through auditions," once again denying any involvement in the casting process.

Earlier that morning, Netflix announced that in addition to Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Yang Dong-geun, and Park Sung-hoon, actors Park Gyu-young, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim, Lee Da-wit, Lee Jin-wook, Choi Seung-hyun, Noh Jae-won, and Won Ji-an would be appearing in 'Squid Game 2'.

The first season of 'Squid Game' was released on September 17, 2021, sparking a K-content craze and gaining worldwide popularity. The production of the second season attracted attention both domestically and internationally. In particular, there was keen interest in who would appear as new participants.

When news of T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun)'s casting broke, heated debates erupted online. Previously, T.O.P was convicted in 2016 for smoking marijuana at his home, receiving a 10-month prison sentence with a 2-year probation. Criticism arose that it was inappropriate for Choi Seung-hyun, who has a drug-related record, to appear in the series.

On the same day, Dispatch reported that Lee Jung-jae had a strong influence on T.O.P's casting in 'Squid Game 2'. The two are known in the entertainment industry as close senior and junior, and it was said that Lee Jung-jae had previously sought to recruit T.O.P.

According to the report, Lee Jung-jae demanded a guarantee of over $1 million (approximately 1.316 billion KRW) per episode (13 episodes for seasons 2 and 3). Netflix was expected to have to prepare more than $13 million (approximately 17.18 billion KRW), making it difficult to ignore Lee Jung-jae's demands.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.