The Creator of ‘Squid Game’ Has One Regret About the Show

Since the series’ 2021 debut, nearly 600 million people globally have watched its two seasons, unsure of whom to root for, since nearly every contestant gets killed off. Netflix released the third and final season of “Squid Game” on June 27, closing a chapter for Hwang, who said his life has been consumed by the series the last six years.

Hwang, 54, lives in Seoul. Below, he discusses which TV shows he’s binged, why he’s still driving an old car and his biggest regret about “Squid Game.” 

What time do you wake up on Monday mornings, and what is the first thing you usually do?

I usually get up around 8 or 9. The first thing I do is make myself a nice cup of tea. It’s a subscription-based herbal tea my doctor prescribed to me, for my body type. Then I look up “Squid Game”-related news articles online. I’ll click on Korean news channels, sometimes I look up videos on YouTube. For English-learning purposes and to hear what’s going on in the world, I’ll tune into Fox, CNN or BBC. And I like to read in the mornings.

What do you do for breakfast?

I actually don’t do breakfast. I just grew up like that. I’m not a big eater, especially in the morning. On filming days, I don’t really eat. 

Korea is known for skin care, do you have any products you love?

I use a toner and lotion. Sometimes, I’ll do a sheet mask. If I have a big event coming up, like a photo shoot, then I will go to a dermatologist.

What else do you do during your morning routine?

I’m trying to make more of a routine these days because I have to admit, I’m a very lazy person. But we’ve wrapped the show and now I’ve got some time to myself. There are a couple of things I’m trying to do, and one of them is running in the morning. I’ve only gone twice, and it was tough. 

Most people who’ve watched “Squid Game” binged the show. What have you binged? 

I didn’t binge watch all the seasons, but I did binge watch a few seasons of “24,” the first season of “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad.” And most recently, “Adolescence.”

How do you think you would have performed in the Netflix reality series “Squid Game: The Challenge”?

Luck plays a huge role in these things. But I think I would have at least made it through the honeycomb round because I’m quite good at that.

Do you have any regrets after season two of “Squid Game”?

I do have a character that I think maybe I should have let live longer, and that’s Se-mi [Player 380]. She is someone that’s killed by the character Nam-gyu during the midnight riot. I wrote her death because I thought it was the right time for her to go, but I grew so fond of her. Maybe I should have let her live longer. 

I read that you were raised by your grandmother and mother. Are you still close with them? What do they think of the show?

My grandmother passed away when I was making season one of “Squid Game.” She was actually in three of my feature films and if her health had allowed it, would have been in “Squid Game.” She passed away during the Covid pandemic. I wasn’t able to be at her side when she passed and that’s something I hold very hurtfully in my heart. But if she were here, I know she would have loved everything that’s happened to me in recent years.

As for my mother, she supported me financially for me to study in the states. She used to say it was an investment she was making. So now she is very happy because she hit the jackpot.

Americans are obsessed with Korean culture, from K-pop to TV. Is there any part of American culture that you enjoy?

• It’s only recently that Asian culture has been so widely enjoyed by the Western world. We grew up on American pop songs, and American TV and film. I was also a huge fan of the NBA when it was Michael Jordan’s peak. Korean broadcasters wouldn’t broadcast the game and so I remember fiddling with my antenna, waking up in the middle of the night to tune into the channel for American soldiers to watch the game. I think this is true for a lot of Korean creators in my generation. We grew up aspiring to become a part of Hollywood. 

How has Hollywood changed you? Is there anything you’ve splurged on?

• The most amount of money I’ve used, ever, was for my mother. I got my mother a nice Rolex watch and sent her on a trip to Africa. 

I read that you still drive an old car.

• I looked it up, and if I were to sell it today, it’s worth about $3,000 or $4,000. I bought it for my mother about 11 years ago. She drove it for three or four years, but she gave up driving because she got too old, so I’ve been driving it since then. My dream car was a Porsche, but a Porsche is too low to get in and out [laughs.] Maybe I’ll get a Porsche 911.

I know you’re a fan of Manhwa [Korean comics]. Is that something you’d recommend to children today?

• I do. Kids these days read a lot of [digital] webtoons, as we call them in Korea, and they publish a new episode by the week. Back in our days, there were only printed copies of Manhwa, and I think the plotline was a lot more solid. So I would suggest paper to a younger generation today. Holding a physical book in your hand teaches you to be more patient with stories. 

What do you want people watching season 3 of ‘Squid Game’ to walk away with?

• No matter how hard life is on us, no matter how the world tries to break us and drive us into despair, I hope that the viewers will get to thinking that we must not stop our struggle and efforts to find a hope within us.

Is there a piece of advice that you hold on to?

• I do try to remember and keep in mind a phrase, as a creator, to never remain in my comfort zone. I always try to do something that scares me.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Write to Chavie Lieber at Chavie.Lieber@WSJ.com