In the details: Who’s who on Netflix’s ‘The Devil’s Plan: Death Room’

And, for international audiences unfamiliar with him, the transformation of Lee from a calm and gentle-looking man into a cold, calculating strategist in the second round — where he exiled fellow contestant 7High without hesitation and ramped up the tension — may have sparked curiosity: Who is this guy?

The long-anticipated mind-game survival show has returned to Netflix for its second season on May 6, with 14 contestants — two more than last season — vying for the final 500 million won ($350,000) prize.

The new season, titled “The Devil’s Plan: Death Room,” continues to challenge participants with more intense psychological games, while pushing players toward high-stakes decisions, secret deals and strategic betrayals.

For those entering the world of “The Devil’s Plan,” the Korea JoongAng Daily listed a few notable players to help viewers guess who might outwit the rest and claim the final prize, with just a week left until the finale.

Lee Se-dol

Lee Se-dol, a former professional Go master known for his historic match with AI-powered AlphaGo in 2016, is probably the most unlikely participant of the show. Despite his storied career, Lee has been staying away from the public eye except for Go matches.

Lee, 42, is regarded as one of Korea’s most legendary Go players, alongside figures like Cho Hoon-hyun and Lee Chang-ho, whose stories were recently brought to life in the film “The Match.” However, he left his professional Go career behind in 2019, officially retiring after being 24 years and four months on the professional Go board.

He set out as a professional Go player at the age of 12 in 1995, becoming the third-youngest player to earn professional status at the time.

Lee ranks second in the number of major international Go titles, with 14 championships to his name, such as the 15th Fujitsu Cup in 2002, where he claimed victory as just a 3-dan, the lowest-ranked player to ever do so. Dan is the ranking system for professional Go players, ranging from 1-dan to 9-dan.

He is known for his creative and aggressive playing style, which earned him wide popularity among amateurs and the general public alike.

However, it was his match against AlphaGo — the AI program developed by Google’s DeepMind— in 2016 that brought the former Go player to international recognition.

Lee remains the only professional Go player to have scored a win against the AI, though he was defeated in the series 4–1.

Today, he is a professor at UNIST and is also working as a board game designer, making his debut in 2023. He made several board games, including Great Kingdom, King’s Crown and Nine Knights, all part of the Wiz Stone board game series.

Another interesting fact about Lee is that he is a huge K-pop idol fan. In 2020, he revealed that he is a big fan of girl group Oh My Girl — a detail that may explain his visible fondness for fellow contestant K-pop idol Chuu during the show.

So, will the legendary Go master live up to expectations, or will the devil’s plan deal him an unexpected defeat?

Yoon So-hui

The quiet-looking actor may not seem like much of a threat to some, but given her background, she is certainly someone to keep a close eye on.

Yoon So-hui made her debut through the drama episode of SM Entertainment’s boy band EXO released in 2013.

Before becoming an actor, Yoon lived in Germany and returned to Korea at the age of six. She then followed an elite academic path, enrolling in Sejong Science High School — a school in Korea for students with talent in science — and graduated early.

After high school, she went to KAIST — one of Korea’s most renowned universities in science and engineering.

Yoon landed her first lead role in tvN’s food drama “Let’s Eat” (2013-14) and appeared in various projects afterward, such as tvN’s “Marriage, Not Dating,” (2014) and MBC’s “The Emperor: Owner of the Mask” (2017). Her most recent works include KBS “Heartbeat” (2023) and the film “Mind Universe” (2023).

Despite her career in acting, Yoon is also well known to the Korean public for her intelligence, frequently appearing in knowledge-based variety shows like “Problematic Men” (2015-20).

With her combination of acting talent and intellect, will she make it to the finals of the show? We’ll have to wait and see.

Jeong Hyun-gyu

Jeong Hyun-gyu may be new for some viewers, but if you are a fan of Korean dating shows, you’ll remember him for his iconic moment during the second season of Tving’s “EXchange” (2021-24) for his famous line, “See you tomorrow, noona [older sister].”

Jeong caught the public’s attention on the dating show not only for his looks but also his intellect, having enrolled in Seoul National University, considered Korea’s top university. He also revealed that he took the CSAT — the nation’s highly competitive college entrance exam — six times in order to gain admission to the school.

Additionally, the college student-slash-social influencer is also known to have achieved a record-breaking Mensa Korea IQ score of 156 — the highest score the test can record.

Will his tenacity and intellect ultimately lead him to success? We’ll have to wait and see next week.

Kang Ji-yeong

Though Kang Ji-yeong is introduced as an announcer for JTBC, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, she is no longer with the broadcaster. The announcer recently resigned in April after 14 years, transitioning to a new path as a freelancer.

The 35-year-old freelance announcer was previously the anchor for JTBC weekend news and various JTBC programs and content — being one of the faces of the broadcaster.

With a career spanning over a decade, Kang also gained public recognition for her interviews, where she met stars such as Noel Gallagher of the rock band Oasis, soprano Sumi Jo, veteran actor Choi Min-sik and many others.

For Kang, a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington and an AICPA-certified accountant, JTBC was not her first media appearance.

In 2011, she first appeared on camera through an announcer audition program broadcast on MBC. Although she failed the audition, she was able to secure a position at JTBC through a special recruitment process later that same year.

Will her eloquence and skill navigate her to pass each stage?

Kyuhyun

If you are a K-pop fan, boy band Super Junior may ring a bell as one of the leading K-pop acts of the so-called second-generation idols.

Kyuhyun is the youngest member of the nine-member band, which initially started off with 12 members before he joined in May 2006, six months after its debut.

Known for his exceptional vocal skills, Kyuhyun is one of the main vocalists of the band. He has also enjoyed a successful solo career, with hit songs like “At Gwanghwamun” (2014) and “A Million Pieces” (2015).

In addition, setting aside his vocal talent, he is recognized for his sense of humor, securing spots on hit variety shows such as MBC’s “Radio Star” (2007-) and tvN’s “New Journey to the West” (2015-2020).

He is also known for his intellectual ability, graduating from Kyung Hee University, one of the top schools in Korea, as well as winning the grand prize at a nationwide math competition in his high school years.

Despite his current strong and healthy state, the singer once had a traumatic past. In April 2007, he was involved in a horrific car accident while returning home with his band members after a scheduled event.

His recovery is often referred to as a “miracle,” since even doctors were initially pessimistic, as he sustained the most severe injuries among the members. Yet just three months later, Kyuhyun recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital. He also participated in the band’s second full-length album “Don’t Don” that was released in September 2007.

Will the singer turn the tables in this game with his humor, wit and sharp sense? He might just be a contestant that viewers should keep an eye on.

BY KIM JI-YE  [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]