# Learn Korean or Else

> Duolingo's Squid Game campaign music video drew over 42 million TikTok views.

- Owner: Duolingo and Netflix
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Education
- Seed date: 2024-12-10
- Peak proxy date: 2024-12-10
- Date basis: Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 37 (Niche, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Mascot persona, Pairing

## Summary

Duolingo and Netflix launched Learn Korean or Else on Dec. 10, 2024, casting Duo the Owl as a Squid Game Pink Guard. Trade press covered it that day, and Duo took over Netflix's Sunset Boulevard billboard on Dec. 11. By March 2025 the music video had over 42 million TikTok views.

## Timeline

- 2024-12-10 — Duolingo / Netflix (Open web) — Duolingo and Netflix launched Learn Korean or Else, adding over 40 Squid Game words and phrases to the Korean course.
- 2024-12-10 — TechCrunch (Press) — TechCrunch covered the partnership and reported an exclusive TikTok filter from the two companies.
- 2024-12-10 — Peak proxy: Ad Age (Press) — Ad Age covered the campaign the same day, describing Duo the Owl as a Squid Game Pink Guard.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/duolingo-learn-korean-or-else

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Learn Korean or Else.” Case HIS-01145. Spread Score v1.2: 37/100. Updated 2026-10-15. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01145