Cho Sang-woo

“	When we were young, we used to play like this and our moms would invite us to dinner. That won't happen again...	„
	― Sang-woo to Seong Gi-hun during his final moments in "One Lucky Day"

Cho Sang-woo (조상우, Jo Sang-u), also known as Player 218, was a contestant in the 33rd Squid Game in 2020 and one of the competition's two finalists.

A childhood friend of Seong Gi-hun, Sang-woo was once a gifted student who attended Seoul National University. However, after failing in his investments and accumulating massive debt, he was charged with multiple financial crimes, including forgery and embezzlement, leading to a warrant for his arrest. Desperate to escape his dire circumstances, he entered the Squid Game.

Throughout the competition, Sang-woo initially supported Gi-hun and their alliance, forming a close bond with Ali Abdul. However, as the games progressed, his desire to survive drove him to increasingly ruthless actions. He manipulated and betrayed Ali in the Marbles game, leaving him to die, and later murdered Kang Sae-byeok to secure his place in the final round.

Sang-woo advanced to the final game, where he faced off against Gi-hun in a brutal match of Squid Game. Though Gi-hun ultimately defeated him, he refused to claim victory, instead invoking Clause 3 of the consent form in an attempt to end the game and save Sang-woo’s life. However, Sang-woo, unwilling to accept defeat, chose to end his own life by stabbing himself in the neck. With his dying words, he asked Gi-hun to use a portion of the prize money to help his mother before succumbing to his injuries, allowing Gi-hun to become the winner of the Squid Game.

Names	Cho Sang-Woo Player 218 The Pride of Ssangmun-dong (Seong Gi-hun) Famous Prodigy (Seong Gi-hun) The Genius Cho Sang-woo of SNU (Seong Gi-hun) Sir (사장님 Sajangnim) (Ali Abdul) (형 Hyung) (Ali Abdul) (오빠 Oppa) (Han Mi-nyeo)
Gender	Male ♂
Race	Human
Occupation	Investment Banker
Origin	Squid Game Season 1 Episode 1: Red Light, Green Light (무궁화 꽃이 피던 날 Mugunghwa Kkoch-i Pideon Nal)
Alignment	Anti-Villain
Age	46
Created By	Hwang Dong-hyuk
Height	181cm (5ft 11in)
Weight	65 kg (130 lbs)
Personality Type	INTJ, 3w4 (Enneagram)

Appearance

Cho Sang-woo (Player 218) is a South Korean man in with a lean but slightly muscular build. He has short black hair, neatly styled for most of the series, and dark brown eyes. His facial features are sharp and refined, giving him an intelligent and calculating appearance. Throughout the games, his expression shifts from composed and strategic to increasingly desperate and worn down.

During the competition, he wears the standard green Squid Game tracksuit with the number 218 printed on his chest and back. By the later rounds, his clothes become increasingly dirty and bloodstained, reflecting the hardships of the games. During the final dinner before the last round, he wears a black suit with a white dress shirt, though by the end, his attire is soaked in rain and blood from the brutal fight with Gi-hun.

Personality

Sang-woo’s defining trait is his intelligence. He is exceptionally bright and capable of thinking quickly under pressure, which he demonstrates by devising a winning strategy for his team during the Tug of War game. He relies on logic rather than emotion in making decisions and is highly determined to achieve his goals. However, this also makes him willing to use unethical means to ensure his survival. Sang-woo is not easily deceived and has a manipulative side, which he exploits to his advantage in the Marbles game. He sees the Squid Game as his last chance to resolve his financial troubles and is prepared to go to extreme lengths to win.

His desperation stems from his massive debts after failed investments, which put his mother’s belongings at risk of being confiscated. As a former Seoul National University student, he carried the weight of high expectations from his community and his mother. Unable to face her after his financial downfall, he nearly takes his own life in a motel restroom after the games are temporarily halted, only to return when given another opportunity.

Despite his calculated nature and apparent ruthlessness by the end of the competition, Sang-woo is not entirely devoid of compassion. His primary motivation for entering the Squid Game is to secure his mother’s financial future, demonstrating that he genuinely cares about her. Outside the games, he is polite and friendly, as seen when he helps Ali Abdul catch a bus. Throughout most of the competition, he serves as the strategist for his alliance, working alongside Seong Gi-hun in decision-making. He shows willingness to help others when his life isn’t immediately at stake, advising Gi-hun during Red Light, Green Light and stepping in to protect him and Kang Sae-byeok during the Special Round when Jang Deok-su’s gang attacks.

However, Sang-woo consciously avoids forming deep emotional attachments, knowing that most contestants will not survive. Even so, he develops a genuine connection with Ali Abdul, allowing him to call him "hyung" (older brother). This bond leads him to choose Ali as his Marbles partner, believing they would compete together, only to realize they must play against each other. To save himself, he exploits Ali’s trust and deceives him, leading to Ali’s elimination. Though he ultimately chooses to betray Ali, Sang-woo is visibly shaken when he hears the gunshot confirming his death, showing that he does not act without remorse.

His closest bond in the competition is with Gi-hun, whom he has known since childhood. While he initially looks out for him, he gradually distances himself, prioritizing his survival. Despite keeping the Sugar Honeycomb strategy to himself, he is visibly relieved when Gi-hun survives the game. He also expresses concern for Gi-hun’s well-being, checking on him after the Tug of War match and after he experiences a nightmare. Following Oh Il-nam’s elimination, he attempts to console Gi-hun, though this may also be his way of coping with Ali’s death.

As the competition progresses and the player count dwindles, Sang-woo becomes increasingly ruthless, shocking Gi-hun with his cold-blooded actions. Their growing differences lead to animosity, with Sang-woo severing ties with Gi-hun and Sae-byeok before the final round. His murder of Sae-byeok infuriates Gi-hun, culminating in a brutal showdown between the two in the Squid Game. While Sang-woo is willing to kill Gi-hun to win, he ultimately accepts his defeat after being bested. Moved by Gi-hun’s willingness to forfeit the game to save him, Sang-woo instead chooses to end his own life, apologizing before stabbing himself in the neck. Knowing Gi-hun’s compassionate nature, he entrusts him with his final wish—to use the prize money to help his mother.

Biography

Background

Born in Ssangmun-dong, Seoul, in 1975, Cho Sang-woo was the childhood best friend of Seong Gi-hun. The two shared a close, almost brotherly bond and frequently played traditional children’s games together, including Squid Game, Sugar Honeycombs, and Red Light, Green Light.

Sang-woo excelled academically, studying Business Administration at Seoul National University, where he graduated at the top of his class. He was regarded as a prodigy in his neighborhood and later became an investment banker, serving as the team leader of Team Two at Joy Investments. However, his promising career unraveled when he illegally siphoned money from his clients to invest in stocks and futures. A series of devastating losses left him ₩6 billion in debt. Desperate to recover, he used his mother’s shop and house as collateral, further endangering his family’s financial security.

Squid Games

In 2020, Sang-woo was on the run from the police due to his overwhelming debt. He encountered The Recruiter, who challenged him to a game of Ddakji. After playing, Sang-woo received an invitation to participate in the 33rd Squid Game. With his mother’s possessions at risk, a mountain of unpaid debts, and the looming threat of imprisonment, he accepted the offer.

Upon arriving at the island where the games took place, Sang-woo quickly grew suspicious, accusing the Guards of deception and questioning the lack of information provided. His skepticism intensified when he discovered that his childhood best friend, Seong Gi-hun, was also a contestant.

The Guards soon entered the dormitory, welcoming the 456 participants and explaining the rules: over the next six days, they would compete in six games, with the ultimate winner receiving a massive cash prize. Many players were doubtful, but the Guards reminded them that they were all in dire financial straits and needed the money to turn their lives around.

The first game, Red Light, Green Light, took place in a vast open field featuring a giant doll at the far end. The rules were simple: players could move while the doll sang, but they had to freeze the moment it stopped. Anyone caught moving afterward—or failing to reach the finish line within five minutes—would be eliminated.

At the start, Player 324 and Player 250 rushed forward, eager to finish first. However, when Player 324 moved after the singing ended, a loud bang rang out, and he collapsed, bleeding. Player 250, horrified, tried to flee but was also shot. As panic spread, many contestants ran for their lives, only to be gunned down. The survivors stood frozen in terror while the doll's voice reminded them of the rules.

Oh Il-nam, Player 001, remained calm and continued playing, seemingly unbothered by the bloodshed. His confidence encouraged others to move forward cautiously. Sang-woo, strategizing, hid behind other players to reduce his chances of being detected. Noticing Gi-hun struggling, he advised him to do the same, allowing both of them to survive the game.

Following the first round, the remaining contestants were escorted back to the dormitory. The Guards congratulated them, announcing that 255 players had been eliminated. As fear and desperation set in, many pleaded to leave, promising to find other ways to repay their debts. However, the Guards insisted that the games were not meant as punishment but as a second chance for those who had lost everything.

After the first game, Sang-woo invoked the third clause of the consent form, which allowed the players to vote on whether to continue or end the competition. The guards agreed to the vote but first revealed the growing prize pool, with a massive transparent piggy bank descending from the ceiling and being filled with stacks of cash, amounting to ₩25 billion at that point. They explained that each eliminated player added ₩100 million to the total prize, which would ultimately reach ₩45.6 billion.

A voting machine was set up, with a circle button to continue and an X to leave. Sang-woo voted to stay, as did others, including Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector. The results remained neck-and-neck, with players debating whether to leave and return to their dire real-world situations or stay for a chance at the money. The tension escalated, almost leading to a fight before the guards intervened. In the end, Player 001, Oh Il-nam, cast the deciding vote, choosing to end the games.

Upon being released, Sang-woo was dropped off with Player 199, Ali Abdul, a Pakistani immigrant who had saved Gi-hun during Red Light, Green Light. Ali asked to borrow his phone, but it was dead, so Sang-woo took him to a convenience store to buy a charger and some ramen. While charging his phone, he found a flood of messages from the authorities. Despite his situation, he gave Ali money for a bus ride home.

Sang-woo then watched his mother from a distance as she worked at her fish shop, unable to bring himself to face her. He later admitted to Gi-hun that he was drowning in ₩6 billion worth of debt due to failed futures investments and had even put his mother's store up as collateral, leaving him unable to repay anything. When speaking to his mother on the phone, he lied about being on a business trip. Meanwhile, police officers approached her at the store, informing her of his crimes—embezzlement, forgery, and fraud—leaving her shocked and devastated.

Back in his apartment, Sang-woo attempted suicide by inhaling toxic charcoal fumes in his bathtub. However, he was interrupted by a ringing doorbell. When he checked, he found another business card inviting him back to the Squid Game. With no other options, he decided to return.

Upon reentering the game, Sang-woo reunited with the other players, including Gi-hun, but grew uneasy knowing he would eventually have to compete against them. Gi-hun suggested forming a team, which Sang-woo agreed to, initially consisting of himself, Gi-hun, Ali, and Oh Il-nam.

Before the second game, Kang Sae-byeok secretly investigated the workers’ activities, discovering them melting something in large pots with a sugary smell. When Sang-woo questioned her about it, he pieced together that the game might be Sugar Honeycombs but kept this realization to himself. Seeing the different shape doors at the playground, he discreetly selected the easiest shape while suggesting his teammates spread out their choices. However, he was shocked when Gi-hun unknowingly chose the umbrella, the most difficult shape to cut. Sang-woo tried to warn him, but it was too late.

During the game, Sang-woo confirmed his guess was correct and focused on carving his shape. By the end, he was relieved to see Gi-hun had survived.

Later, when Jang Deok-su and his gang launched a brutal nighttime attack to eliminate other contestants and increase their share of the prize money, Sang-woo fought back aggressively, helping defend his teammates.

The next morning, the players were tasked with forming teams of ten for the third game. Sang-woo told Gi-hun they needed to recruit strong male players, so they searched for five additional teammates. Meanwhile, Ali joined Player 276, another foreigner, and Sang-woo convinced Player 196 to join their team. Gi-hun recruited Player 244, a pastor, while Sae-byeok found Ji-yeong (Player 240) alone and asked her to join. Their team was still one member short when Mi-nyeo overheard their concerns and decided to join, claiming she was stronger than Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong.

Once the timer ran out, the teams were led outside to a new area. A guard announced the next game: Tug of War. The rules were explained, and lots were drawn to determine matchups. Gi-hun’s team (Team 4) was set to face Team 5 in the second round. As their team was nervous about their chances, Player 001, Oh Il-nam, stepped up to share his Tug of War strategy. While some dismissed his advice due to his age, Gi-hun insisted they listen. Il-nam explained that Tug of War was not just about brute strength but also about strategy and teamwork. He outlined the ideal formation: a strong leader at the front for confidence, a reliable anchor at the back, and alternating foot placements among the rest of the players. They should lean back for ten seconds at the start to tire out the opposing team before making their move.

As the game began, Team 4 followed Il-nam’s plan and initially gained the upper hand. Team 5 struggled, with their leader slipping, but they quickly recovered and started pulling back. Just as Team 4 was on the verge of being dragged off the platform, Sang-woo thought of a last-minute strategy to save them. He instructed his team to take three quick steps forward, catching the opposing team off guard and knocking them down, allowing them to win the game.

Later that night, Sang-woo, recalling the previous night’s riot, warned his team to prepare for another possible attack. At Gi-hun’s suggestion, they moved their beds to form a barricade. He and Sang-woo advised the others to take turns resting and keeping watch in pairs for protection. While on guard duty, Sang-woo and Ali bonded as they talked. Ali revealed that most of his family was in Pakistan, but he had brought his wife and son to Korea before sending them back due to financial struggles. Being a poor immigrant with little money had led him to participate in the Squid Game.

After surviving the Tug of War, the remaining players were instructed to choose a partner for the next game. As they walked through the staircase room, they saw the bodies of Byeong-gi and his co-conspirators hanging from the ceiling. The Front Man announced over the intercom that the games were designed with equality in mind and that cheating would not be tolerated.

Sang-woo chose Ali as his partner, believing that their combined intelligence and strength would give them an advantage. However, when the fourth game, Marbles, was revealed, the players were shocked to learn that they would be competing against their partners rather than alongside them. The objective was to obtain all ten of the opponent’s marbles using any sub-game, but without resorting to violence. Anyone who lost all their marbles would be eliminated, and if neither won within 30 minutes, both would be executed.

Sang-woo and Ali began playing, with Ali initially struggling to understand the rules. However, after learning the game, Ali gained the upper hand. As Sang-woo lost more marbles, he grew increasingly desperate, even accusing Ali of cheating. A guard intervened before the situation could escalate. Realizing he was about to lose, Sang-woo pleaded for his life, telling Ali that he needed to survive for his mother. Ali, however, reminded him that he also had a family to support.

Sang-woo then devised a plan, claiming that some players had not yet finished their games and that they could both survive if they found another team to form a new game. He convinced Ali to leave and search for those teams while tying Ali’s pouch of marbles around his neck to keep them safe. Trusting Sang-woo, Ali agreed and set off. However, as soon as Ali left, Sang-woo revealed that he had secretly taken Ali’s marbles and presented them to a guard, declaring himself the winner. When Ali returned, he saw Sang-woo standing by the exit and checked his pouch, only to find it filled with pebbles. Realizing he had been betrayed, Ali could only look on in shock before a guard shot him. Sang-woo, unable to face him, looked away.

In the next game, Glass Stepping Stones, Sang-woo, Gi-hun, and Sae-byeok were among the few survivors. They followed Player 017, Do Jung-soo, a glass manufacturer who could differentiate between regular and tempered glass. As time ran out, the guards turned off the lights, preventing Jung-soo from identifying the correct path. With no other options, Sang-woo pushed Jung-soo off the bridge, forcing him to land on a tile and allowing the rest to reach the other side within the time limit.

Afterward, Sang-woo and Gi-hun argued over Jung-soo’s death. Gi-hun questioned whether Sang-woo would have done the same to him, but Sang-woo remained silent. Instead, he lashed out, criticizing Gi-hun for always being irresponsible and relying on others. Gi-hun retaliated, calling Sang-woo no better and reminding him that his financial ruin was his own doing. This confrontation led to a falling out between the former friends.

As one of the final three contestants in the Squid Game, Sang-woo, along with Gi-hun and Sae-byeok, was given a formal suit and served an elaborate dinner. At the end of the meal, each player was provided with a knife. Gi-hun, still disturbed by Sang-woo’s murder of Player 017, attempted to assassinate him while he was sleeping but was stopped by Sae-byeok, who reminded him that he was "not a murderer."

However, Gi-hun soon discovered that Sae-byeok was bleeding profusely from a glass shrapnel wound she had sustained in the previous game. Desperate to save her, he banged on the door and called for the guards, inadvertently waking Sang-woo. Realizing that Gi-hun might forfeit the game to get help for Sae-byeok, Sang-woo seized the opportunity and fatally stabbed her in the neck while Gi-hun's back was turned. Enraged, Gi-hun attempted to attack Sang-woo, but the guards intervened, preventing a confrontation.

With only two players remaining, Sang-woo and Gi-hun faced off in the final game: Squid Game. The Front Man escorted them to the same field where Red Light, Green Light had taken place and explained the rules. Gi-hun took the role of offense while Sang-woo played defense.

As the game commenced, Gi-hun quickly advanced, throwing sand into Sang-woo’s eyes to gain an advantage and crossing the middle section of the squid diagram. As the match progressed, rain began to fall, adding to the tension. During their fight, Sang-woo justified Sae-byeok’s murder by claiming it was a mercy kill, as she was already dying from her wound. However, Gi-hun refused to believe him. Eventually, Sang-woo admitted that he had killed Sae-byeok to prevent Gi-hun from calling a majority vote to end the game, which would have denied him the prize money.

As the game neared its final stage, both men abandoned the formal rules and engaged in a brutal, desperate fistfight. Sang-woo briefly gained the upper hand by stabbing Gi-hun in the thigh and prepared to land a fatal blow. However, Gi-hun stopped the attack by grabbing the knife, impaling his own hand in the process. He then bit Sang-woo’s shin, causing him to cry out in pain, allowing Gi-hun to overpower him.

Gi-hun pinned Sang-woo to the ground and repeatedly punched him before seizing the knife. However, instead of killing Sang-woo, he drove the knife into the ground and walked toward the squid’s head, intending to win by default.

Before Gi-hun could complete the game, he stopped and turned back, choosing to invoke the final rule: if a majority of the remaining players agreed, they could end the game and leave without any prize money. He called out to Sang-woo, pleading for them to leave together. However, Sang-woo, who had lost everything and saw no future for himself, refused.

Lying on the ground, Sang-woo told Gi-hun to take care of his mother and then, without hesitation, stabbed himself in the neck. Gi-hun rushed to him, but it was too late—Sang-woo succumbed to his injuries, leaving Gi-hun as the sole survivor and winner of the Squid Game.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: 9-C

Powers and Abilities: Peak Human Physical Characteristics, Martial Arts, Genius Intelligence, Expert Knife Wielder Social Influencing (He has lead his team to victory on numerous occasions, but he's also manipulated and portrayed one of his closest friends), Stealth Mastery (Managed to sneak up and kill Kang Sae-Byeok without Gi-Hun noticing he was awake)

Attack Potency: Street level (Put up a good fight against Seong Gi-hun but was defeated. And while physically weaker, he held his own against Jang Deok-su and his minions)

Speed: Peak Human

Lifting Strength: Average Human

Striking Strength: Street level

Durability: Street level

Stamina: Peak Human

Range: Standard Melee Range

Standard Equipment: Knife

Intelligence: Genius (Graduated from Seoul National University at the top of his class, eventually becoming an extremely successful businessman with high organizational skills and knowledge of economics before tumbling down from his debts. He is portrayed as one of the smartest Squid Game participants, managing to accurately deduce the theme behind the sugar honeycomb game through his surroundings before the round even started. He demonstrates a strong ability to perform quick calculations and probability analyses, as during the marble game, he calculates his chances and subtly manipulates Ali Abdul into playing a game and faking a genuine partnership where Sang-woo has an advantage, which allowed him to survive. In the titular Squid Game, Sang-woo strategically defends against Gi-hun using his knowledge of the game’s rules, showing a keen understanding of both offense and defense. Has been admired and stated by characters like Gi-hun to have been the pride of their home town and a “Genius” for getting into Seoul National University. He is also the de-facto leader of his group, instructing them to build barricades to defend themselves against other opposing factions. He used his knowledge of physics, teamwork, and problem solving to devise a counterintuitive strategy to win the Tug-of-War game, instructing his team to take large steps forward, effectively disrupted the equilibrium, causing the opposing team to lose balance due to their overexerted pull. He would’ve won the 33rd Squid Games had it not been Gi-Hun's slightly greater physical prowess)

Weaknesses: Has poor risk management as he fell into debt after illegally funneling his client's money into his investments. Mentally paranoid as a result of playing the Squid Game.

Trivia

• Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of Squid Game, envisioned Sang-woo and Gi-hun’s relationship as similar to that of fraternal twins—two individuals who were once close in childhood but took drastically different paths in life. This dynamic was intentionally reflected in their casting and character arcs.
• Sang-woo, despite his intelligence and education, ultimately succumbed to desperation and ruthless self-preservation, contrasting with Gi-hun’s gradual rediscovery of his humanity. His final act of taking his own life, rather than allowing Gi-hun to forfeit the prize, serves as a tragic conclusion to his journey.
• One year after the events of the game, Gi-hun honored Sang-woo’s dying wish by providing for his mother and taking care of Kang Cheol, Sae-byeok’s younger brother.