You’ve reached the wrong number

SEOUL • A South Korean woman who was deluged with thousands of prank calls and text messages after her phone number was highlighted as a key plot point in Netflix’s hit show Squid Game could soon get relief.

Netflix and local production company Siren Pictures said Wednesday they would edit scenes to remove the phone number, which appears on a mysterious invitation card given to potential players of a series of deadly children’s games.

The nine-part thriller depicting cash-strapped contestants playing to the death in a bid to win millions became an international hit last month.

Local broadcaster SBS aired an interview last month with the owner of the phone number, identified as Kim Gil-young, a woman who runs a business in the southeastern county of Seongju. She showed some of the messages she had received, including requests for invitations to join the Squid Game and go “from rags to riches.”

Reuters’ calls to the phone number were not answered Wednesday.

“Together with the production company, we are working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes with phone numbers where necessary,” Netflix said Wednesday.

The woman told SBS last month it was impossible for her to change her number due to client contacts, and she had declined an offer of about $900 in compensation. SBS has reported that she has since been offered more than $5,000. Netflix and Siren Pictures declined to comment Wednesday on any compensation offers.

The culture ministry’s Korean Film Council offers moviemakers screen numbers not used in real life, but TV shows streamed on services like Netflix do not have access to that service. Netflix and Siren had said earlier they deliberately showed only the final eight digits of the mobile phone number, and were unaware that, when dialed, the prefix would automatically be added to complete the number.