Squid Game Season 3 shocking twist explained: Why Geum Ja's heartbreaking choice to kill her own son is dividing the internet?

Time of India

13 hours ago

Squid Game Season 3 may have concluded, but the conversations around it are far from over. Social media is still deep in analysis mode, with fans unpacking every character decision and storyline twist. While Hwang Dong-hyuk's final instalment received critical praise, fan reviews have been noticeably more mixed, especially when compared to the previous seasons. Much of the backlash centres on the controversial choices made by key players, particularly those involving Jun Hee, aka Player 222 (Jo Yu Ri)'s baby. One of the hottestly debated moments features Players 149 and 007, the mother-son duo Geum Ja (Kang Ae Shim) and Young Sik (Yang Dong Geun).
Geum Ja's heartbreaking decision to kill her own son has sparked intense discussion online. While some viewers argue her choice stemmed from a strong moral compass, others believe it crossed a line, making her actions feel less heroic and more unsettling.
Squid Game Season 3: Why did Geum Ja kill her own son?
Geum Ja and Young Sik were first introduced in Squid Game Season 2, where they unexpectedly reunited on the island, both unaware that the other had also returned to settle Young Sik's debts. Shocked and emotional, Geum Ja initially begged her son to leave and let her take his place in the deadly competition. But despite her plea, both mother and son ended up staying and participating once they realised the brutality of the games.
Geum Ja and Young Sik| Credit: Netflix
Throughout the second and third seasons, the mother-son duo stood by each other, gradually forming an unlikely bond with two other players: Jun Hee, a pregnant single woman, and Choi Hyun Ju, who had entered the game in hopes of funding her gender transition surgery. Together, they made it through some of the toughest rounds, relying purely on instinct.
However, things took a devastating turn during the hide-and-seek game when Geum Ja and Young Sik were pitted against each other. In a chilling moment, Young-sik was faced with an impossible choice — to kill someone in order to survive. As the timer ticked down, the only people nearby were Jun Hee and his own mother. When he moved toward Jun Hee, Geum-ja made a gut-wrenching decision: she aimed her weapon at her son. Though a masked guard ultimately delivered the fatal shot, it was Geum-ja who made the call, choosing to protect Jun Hee and her unborn child over her own flesh and blood.
Why is the internet divided?
After her son's death, Geum Ja made the heartbreaking decision to end her own life by hanging herself. Her final act has deeply divided viewers online. Some argue that Young Sik, despite his desperate situation, didn't deserve to die and was simply trying to survive, especially since he was the centre of Geum Ja's world. Others believe that if she had allowed him to kill Jun Hee, neither of them would have ever found peace. For many, her choice represents the ultimate moral sacrifice, a mother choosing to protect innocence, even at the cost of her own child and her will to live.
One Reddit user wrote, "I get that the other woman was vulnerable — she'd just given birth, was injured, and clearly at her limit. And yes, Geum-ja bonded with her like a mother figure. But does that really justify stabbing her own son?
She went into the games to protect him, yet turned on him in the end. Sure, the guards fired the final shot, but Geum-ja's wound triggered it all. It wasn't a light blow either — she stabbed him in the back. Did she really think he'd survive?
Honestly, it felt like a forced twist. Based on her character arc, the moment didn't feel earned. It came off more as a shock tactic than believable development, and that makes it harder to empathize with her choice.'
Another user defended Geum-ja's decision, writing, "Was it shocking? Yes. But to me, it didn't feel forced — it fit the tension and desperation of the moment.
Her son was about to kill a defenseless new mother and possibly her baby. That kind of act could have broken him mentally. Geum-ja knew he wasn't strong enough to live with that guilt. By stabbing him, she wasn't just saving Jun Hee — she was saving her son from becoming a monster. Her suicide later that night proves how unbearable the guilt was. We're just spectators. In that kind of situation, there's no clear justification — it goes beyond logic.'
Geum-Ja, Yong-Sik and Jun-hee situation.
byu/Overall_Ideal_8718 insquidgame
Geum-Ja, Yong-Sik and Jun-hee situation.
byu/Overall_Ideal_8718 insquidgame
Hwang Dong Hyuk explains the shocking twist
Director Hwang Dong Hyuk has since addressed the scene in an interview with LADbible, revealing that it was intentionally designed to subvert expectations.
"I think that most people would have thought that the mother would end up sacrificing herself for her son,' Hwang said. 'And I wanted to twist that expectation."
He explained that the scene was meant to present a 'huge moral dilemma', particularly for Geum-ja (referred to as Mrs Jang in the script). 'She has to choose between this baby who she helped to bring into the world and protect and her own son — because her own son is the one who wants to kill the baby.'
While the shock factor was a deliberate choice — a hallmark of Squid Game — Hwang emphasised that he also wanted the decision to feel emotionally grounded. 'I wanted people to be able to relate to her agony and her dilemma,' he said, adding that Geum-ja's eventual suicide reflected the "intense and extreme trauma" of the moment.
Hwang didn't offer a clear answer on whether Geum-ja made the right choice. 'Honestly, if someone were to ask me, 'What is the right choice to make? ' I don't know,' he admitted. 'I think that there will be a time for all of us where we have to make a choice like that — where we have to sacrifice something that is extremely important to ourselves for the better, for the greater good.'
Whether audiences view her decision as strength, sacrifice, or surrender, one thing is clear: Squid Game Season 3 isn't just leaving people shocked — it's forcing them to confront impossible questions.
Squid Game Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.