Oh Il-nam

Oh Il-nam (오일남, O Il-nam), also known as Player 001, was a wealthy financial tycoon and the mastermind behind the Squid Games. In 2020, as he neared the end of his life, he chose to compete in the 33rd Squid Game as an elderly contestant, seeking to relive his childhood memories before passing away on December 25, 2021.

Names	Oh Il-nam Player 001 The Host Old Man; Sir (영감님 Yeonggamnim) (by Seong Gi-hun) Gganbu (깐부 Kkanbu) (by Seong Gi-hun) Old Sir (늙은 사장님 Neulgeun Sajangnim) (by Ali Abdul)
Gender	Male ♂
Race	Human
Occupation	Creator of the Squid Games, Money Lender
Origin	Squid Game Season 1 Episode 1: Red Light, Green Light (무궁화 꽃이 피던 날 Mugunghwa Kkoch-i Pideon Nal), September 17, 2021
Alignment	Evil
Age	80s
Created By	Hwang Dong-hyuk
Height	170cm (5ft 6in)
Weight	65 kg (143 lbs)
Personality Type	ENFJ, 7w6 (Enneagram)

Appearance

Oh Il-nam is an elderly man with a frail physique, wrinkled face, and short gray hair. He wears the same green tracksuit as the other players, marked with his number, 001. Due to his age and illness, he often appears weak and unsteady, though he occasionally displays surprising bursts of energy during the games.

When attending the Squid Games as a VIP, Il-nam dons a luxurious suit and a mirrored owl mask to conceal his identity from the contestants. However, during his final meeting with Gi-hun, he is seen in a hospital bed, bald due to his worsening brain tumor, with medical equipment assisting him in his last moments.

Personality

Throughout his life, Oh Il-nam constantly sought new forms of entertainment. He expressed fondness for his family, particularly his son, as evidenced by the way he spoke about them. He justified the existence of the Squid Games by claiming they provided excitement and believed that both the wealthy and the impoverished suffered equally from a lack of purpose.

As he approached the end of his life, Il-nam decided to personally participate in the 33rd Squid Game, the final death game he orchestrated. He genuinely enjoyed the experience and formed a close bond with Seong Gi-hun, becoming his gganbu. Gi-hun was likely the first true friend Il-nam had in a long time, making the competition even more meaningful for him. Before his death, Il-nam revealed to Gi-hun that their time together had rekindled long-forgotten memories. He spent his final moments attempting to ease Gi-hun’s survivor’s guilt, urging him to make use of his winnings rather than squander his life. Additionally, Il-nam cast the deciding vote in the 33rd Squid Game, allowing the remaining participants to leave and return home.

Biography

Background

As a child, Oh Il-nam loved playing games with his friends until they lost interest. Some of his favorite childhood games included Red Light, Green Light, Marbles, and Tug of War, in which he rarely ever lost. At some point in his life, he got married and had a child.

Il-nam eventually became a successful businessman and tycoon, but despite his immense wealth, he found life monotonous. He befriended several high-profile clients within his financial corporation, who shared his disillusionment with their privileged but unexciting lives. Seeking to recapture a sense of excitement, Il-nam and his associates devised the Squid Games, which officially began in 1988. His wealthy clients became the VIPs, who would watch and bet on the games, while Il-nam himself served as the host, overseeing the competition from 1988 until 2019.

2020

By 2020, Oh Il-nam was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and had little time left to live. Seeking to relive his childhood memories one last time, he decided that participating in the 33rd Squid Game as Player 001 would be far more enjoyable than merely spectating.

When Seong Gi-hun first wakes up in his bunk bed at the facility, he quickly realizes that players are assigned numbers based on when they were recruited. As the last to sign the contract, Gi-hun is Player 456. By contrast, the first person he meets is Il-nam, the oldest contestant, designated as Player 001.

Feeling sympathy for Il-nam due to his frail condition, Gi-hun befriends him before the first game. As the brutal reality of Red Light, Green Light sets in and players panic, Il-nam remains calm, smiling as he confidently crosses the finish line before Gi-hun.

Following the game’s temporary suspension, Gi-hun unexpectedly encounters Il-nam at a convenience store near his home. Il-nam claims he was visiting a friend and sits down with Gi-hun to share a packet of ramen. During their conversation, he expresses his intention to return to the competition, arguing that the outside world is a crueler hell than the games. With death looming over him, he prefers to spend his final days playing rather than waiting for his illness to take him. His words resonate with Gi-hun, who, facing financial struggles and his mother’s medical expenses, ultimately decides to return as well.

As the games progress, Gi-hun and Il-nam form an alliance with Ali Abdul, a factory worker from Pakistan, and Cho Sang-woo, Gi-hun’s former classmate. Despite his age and apparent frailty, Il-nam excels in the Sugar Honeycomb challenge in round two and later devises a tactical strategy for his team in the third round’s Tug of War. Combined with Sang-woo’s quick thinking, Il-nam’s plan helps their team secure victory. He also plays a key role in ending the Special Game by pleading with the staff to "stop this madness" just before the Pink Guards intervene.

One night, Il-nam wets himself in his sleep, and Gi-hun discreetly covers for him by tying his jacket around Il-nam’s waist. The next day, as players form teams for the upcoming round, Gi-hun notices Il-nam sitting alone and chooses him as his partner, unaware that the fourth game, Marbles, will pit them against each other. The objective is to claim all of the opponent’s marbles through non-violent means before time runs out. Those left without marbles at the end are eliminated.

At the start of the game, Il-nam appears confused and disoriented, wandering the arena as if he were back in his childhood neighborhood, searching for his home. Gi-hun struggles to get him to play, but once Il-nam agrees, Gi-hun quickly begins to lose. Down to his last marble, Gi-hun resorts to deception, exploiting Il-nam’s apparent memory lapses to regain the marbles and secure a lead.

When Il-nam appears to be out of marbles, he asks Gi-hun if he can borrow one. Just as Gi-hun prepares to hand his marbles to the guards, Il-nam unexpectedly reveals he has one left, exposing Gi-hun’s dishonesty. Instead of continuing the game, Il-nam resumes "searching for his house," while Gi-hun desperately pleads for him to finish playing. Eventually, Il-nam proposes a final all-or-nothing bet, much to Gi-hun’s frustration. However, Il-nam then reveals that he has been aware of Gi-hun’s deception all along and had been letting him win. Overcome with guilt, Gi-hun breaks down in tears.

In a final act of kindness, Il-nam hands Gi-hun his last marble, reminding him that they are "gganbu" who share everything. He reassures Gi-hun that their time together made the games more enjoyable for him. As the timer reaches zero, Gi-hun is forced to walk away while Il-nam bids him farewell, revealing his full name—Oh Il-nam—for the first time. A gunshot echoes through the arena, and the announcer declares Il-nam eliminated. Gi-hun walks away in silence, tears streaming down his face.

2021

In 2021, one year after the 33rd Squid Game, Il-nam summons Gi-hun to his deathbed. Now visibly frail, with a bald head and reliant on a respirator, Il-nam reveals that his brain tumor has worsened. As Gi-hun listens in shock and anger, Il-nam admits to being the creator and host of the Squid Games, explaining his motivations.

A self-made tycoon who built his fortune through money lending, Il-nam created the Games as entertainment for the ultra-wealthy, who bet on the outcomes and survival of contestants. He justifies their existence by arguing that, despite the deadly stakes, they offered players a temporary escape from their bleak lives and the possibility of financial salvation. Over the years, Il-nam had come to believe that human nature was inherently selfish and cruel, seeing contestants betray one another time and again. His pessimism led him to view the Games as a test of whether kindness and morality still existed.

Il-nam then reveals that he chose to participate in the 33rd Squid Game simply for the thrill of playing rather than spectating. He makes one final wager with Gi-hun, betting on whether a homeless man passed out in the street will receive help before midnight. As the clock nears its final moments, Gi-hun watches anxiously, and just before time runs out, someone intervenes to assist the man, proving Gi-hun right.

With his last words, Il-nam tells Gi-hun that he spared him because he genuinely enjoyed playing alongside him—the first time he had experienced such joy in years. Moments later, Il-nam dies.

Following his death, Hwang In-ho, the Front Man, stands solemnly beside Il-nam’s lifeless body, reflecting on their past conversations during the 33rd Squid Game. With Il-nam gone, In-ho assumes full control of the Games.

Trivia

• Il-nam is not listed as a player in the 33rd Squid Game archives since, as a host, his number was never officially recorded. The player list starts with Player 002.
• When accompanying the VIPs, he wears a mirrored owl mask to conceal his identity.

• Oh Il-nam was portrayed by actor Oh Yeong-su.