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Laid Off Autoworkers

Updated: Feb 23, 2022


While a fight breaks out between players, Gi-hun ties the violence to his past as an autoworker. The flashback scene depicts the injustice faced by labor workers in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (Great Recession). This scene was inspired by a real-life event when SsangYong Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and laid off hundreds of autoworkers.


Thanks to Amel Ben Abdesslem for identifying this clip!

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