Front Man (Squid Game)

Hwang In-ho (Korean: 황인호; pronounced [hwaŋ.in.ho]), also known as the Front Man, (Korean: 프론트 맨; pronounced [pʰɯɾontʰɯ mɛn]) is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Netflix TV series Squid Game. He is the head of the Squid Game hierarchy, initiating and managing the competition of people in severe debt for a prize of ₩45.6 billion. He is portrayed as a ruthless and emotionally detached figure throughout the series.

Previously a police officer, he won the 28th Squid Game edition himself in 2015 as Player 132 after executing an offer from the game's creator and original Front Man, Oh Il-nam, to kill the other finalists. It is later revealed that In-ho joined the Game in a futile attempt to save his pregnant wife who was terminally ill. Sometime after his victory, In-ho started working for the organization behind the games, becoming the Front Man and cutting off ties to his family and former life.

In-ho's half-brother, Hwang Jun-ho, another police officer 16 years his junior, infiltrated the 2020 games to search for In-ho as he had gone missing. Jun-ho's search for his brother while investigating the deadly games forms one of the main plotlines of the first season.

In the first season, the Front Man is mainly shown overseeing and organizing the games. However, he appears in the second season disguised as a participant, going by Player 001 and using the fake name "Oh Young-il" (오영일; [ˈo̞(ː).jʌ̹ŋ.iɭ]) to foil Seong Gi-hun's plans to take down the Games. Gi-Hun's continued determination and belief in humanity pose a challenge to the Front Man's cynical views in the third season.

The Front Man was created by Hwang Dong-hyuk and was portrayed by Lee Byung-hun, who assisted in developing the character. He is voiced in English by Tom Choi.