Netflix to edit Squid Game S. Korean phone number after woman inundated with calls

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 may soon get some relief.

Netflix and local production company Siren Pictures said on 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 45.6 billion won (1.2 billion baht) became an international hit when it premiered on the streaming service last month.

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

The woman told SBS that it was impossible for her to change her number due to client contacts and she had declined an offer of 1 million won in compensation. SBS has reported that she has since been offered compensation of up to 5 million won.

Presidential candidate Huh Kyungyoung made headlines last week when he offered 100 million won on Facebook to buy the leaked number on the show.

Telephone numbers are considered limited national resources and sales or purchase of such is illegal under the country’s telecommunications business law.

The culture ministry’s Korean Film Council offers moviemakers screen numbers that are not used in real life, but TV shows streamed on over-the-top services like Netflix do not have access to that service.