'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean

In just a few weeks, the highly anticipated second season of Korean television series "Squid Game" will premiere on Netflix. In conjunction with the hype, language-learning app Duolingo is partnering with the streaming service on a new, interactive campaign.

Duolingo and Netflix announced the launch of their "Learn Korean or Else" campaign on Tuesday. The campaign, which combines Duolingo's silly approach to learning new languages, and the high-stakes nature of "Squid Game," encourages fans to learn Korean ahead of the season two premiere of the series on Dec. 26.

Duolingo Chief Marketing Officer Manu Orssaud said in a news release that the campaign comes after the platform saw a 40% increase in users learning Korean after the release of the first season of "Squid Game" in 2021.

Additionally, about 13% of hours watching Netflix in the U.S. last year was on non-English titles, with Korean, Spanish and Japanese stories attracting the largest audiences, Netflix Vice President of Partner & Brand Marketing Magno Herran said in a news release.

"We discovered there were a lot of shared traits between Duo the Owl and the Pink Guards − both very determined and menacing. So we made it official and gave Duo a Pink Guard uniform and ultimately created something we know fans will love and talk about, cheering A-ssa! in celebration," Herran added.

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Campaign features new games, videos and music

A new, limited-edition TikTok filter has been released as part of the campaign, inspired by the game Red Light, Green Light in "Squid Game." Users test their Korean language skills with voice-activated challenges to beat the game. TikTok users do not need to be a registered Duolingo member to utilize the filter.

Netflix's music lab also created a new Korean pop remix of the original, ominous song, "Pink Soldiers." The song is called "Korean or Get Eaten" and the lyrics are performed in both English and Korean. The song will be available for streaming on Spotify at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

A large portion of the "Learn Korean or Else" campaign involves advertising. Duo the Owl dressed as a Pink Guard will be displayed in advertisements on Netflix's ad-supported platform and billboards in Los Angeles and New York City, a news release said.

This is not the first time Duolingo has partnered with a streaming service to promote language learning. Last year, Duolingo and Crunchyroll, an anime streaming service, launched a campaign to promote learning Japanese through fan-favorite anime shows like "Naruto" and "Dragon Ball Z."

Is Duolingo free?

Yes, signing up for Duolingo is free. The platform also offers a paid version called Super Duolingo, which includes no ads, personalized lessons and other features.

What is the release day of 'Squid Game' Season 2?

Season 2 of "Squid Game" releases on Netflix on Thursday, Dec. 26.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

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