Squid Game actress Jung Ho-yeon named Louis Vuitton's global ambassador
Model-turned-actress Jung Ho-yeon, who catapulted to international fame in K-drama Squid Game, is now one of Louis Vuitton's global ambassadors.
The French luxury fashion house's creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere said in an Instagram post on Wednesday (Oct 6): "I immediately fell in love with Ho-yeon's great talent and fantastic personality, and I am looking forward to starting this new chapter of the journey we started at Louis Vuitton a few years ago."
One of South Korea's top models, Jung, 27, had previously strutted the catwalk for Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands. She joins K-pop mega boy band BTS, who were named global ambassadors in April.
Endorsement deals have also rolled in for other cast members of the Netflix monster hit about a group of desperados forced to play deadly versions of childhood games.
Actor Oh Young Soo, who played the elderly man known as Player 001, turned down an offer to become the model for Kkanbu Chicken, a popular fried chicken chain.
In the show, Player 001 had become close friends, known as "gganbu" in Korean, with Player 456, played by Lee Jung-jae.
Many memes popped up on social media which prompted the chicken chain to offer Oh the role of brand ambassador.
However, the 76-year-old turned it down, saying: "I would like to keep my position as an actor for now."
The runaway success of the show has also seen sales of the white slip-on Vans shoes worn by the players in the show go through the roof.
According to Variety magazine, which quoted data from sneaker retailer Sole Supplier, the classic footwear saw a 7,800 per cent spike in sales since the show hit Netflix on Sept 17.
In Paris, a two-day Squid Game pop-up over the weekend ended in a street brawl on Sunday (Oct 3).
Those who had queued for hours to play less deadly versions of the show's games turned violent when they realised they would not be getting in, resulting in fist fights that brought to mind savage scenes from the show.
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