Phone Number In 'Squid Game' To Be Edited After Woman Gets Prank Calls: Report

Squid Game phone number controversy: Streaming giant Netflix and production company Siren Pictures on Wednesday reportedly agreed to make edits to scenes in hit show Squid Game that feature a phone number. The digits, it turns out, belong to a real woman in South Korea who, since the release of the online series last month, is being inundated with prank calls and messages.

Identified as one Kim Gil-young, the woman lives in Seongju and has appeared on media for interviews post unprecedented fame, thanks to Squid Game, which has emerged as a sensation and is poised to make history on Netflix as its most-watched show.

Gil-young's number is displayed on-screen as a crucial plot point on the nine-part series when potential participants competing for the big cash prize are given mysterious invitation cards. Invitees will then get a chance to compete in children's games made dark for an opportunity to clear debt and misery from their lives.

"Together with the production company, we are working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes with phone numbers where necessary," Netflix said, as quoted by Reuters. The report says no clarity has been given on whether compensation will be offered to the woman or not.

Squid Game Phone Number Catapults Woman To Fame: All You Should Know

As per K-pop media outlet Koreaboo, the mishap seems to have occurred allegedly as a result of the first three digits of the displayed number being removed. Removing the three digits would not have preserved privacy since in Korea, they are area codes and it is possible to connect to the number locally.

In interviews, Gil-young has opened up about the barrage of people attempting to contact her and how that has affected her.

"After Squid Game aired, I have been receiving calls and texts endlessly, 24/7, to the point that it’s hard for me to go on with daily life. This is a number that I’ve been using for more than 10 years, so I’m quite taken aback," she told media, as per reports.

She said she wasn't aware why her number was suddenly popular until a friend told her it had featured on Squid Game. 

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