Strange scenes as Squid Game 'gunmen' used during exam

Images have shown how invigilators in Indonesia donned Squid Game costumes to monitor an entrance exam for Indonesian civil servant candidates.

The hit TV Netflix show, Squid Game, has taken the world by storm, with the costumes worn by the guards in the real world, such as in South Korea where union workers wore them during a protest to demand better job security.

Now the dystopian, Battle-Royale-like hit show created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, 50, appears to have inspired invigilators in Indonesia.

The invigilators donned costumes worn by the guards in the show during an entrants exam for candidates for the civil service in the port city of Surabaya, which is located on the Indonesian island of Java, according to local media outlet Coconuts.

The exam, which was reportedly held by the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, featured five invigilators wearing the iconic red costumes and black masks featuring either a circle, a triangle or a square.

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As can be seen in the pictures, they were also seen carrying mock firearms.

The head of the ministry's offices in East Java, named by Coconuts only as Krismono, said: "We wanted to make the [exam] participants more relaxed and happy.

"In this case, those who are successful will be appointed as Justice and Human Rights Ministry civil servants.

"The difference is, the participants in Squid Game are hopeless people, whereas people who took this entrance exam are those who are full of spirit and enthusiasm."

While Squid Game is similar to the late Kinji Fukasaku's groundbreaking film Battle Royale in many respects, there are of course key differences, but that has not stopped comparisons being drawn between the hit South Korean TV show and the Japanese film which was made in 2000, as well as with more recent films, such as the Hollywood blockbuster franchise Hunger Games.

It is currently unclear if the candidates taking the exam felt more relaxed as a result of the stunt.

– Australscope

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