Netflix to edit out Squid Game phone number after woman gets flood of prank calls
- Netflix and production house Siren Pictures say they’ll edit scenes from the hit show to remove the number
- It appears on an invitation card given to potential players of a deadly series of games
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 on Wednesday said 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 (US$38.31 million) 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 for invitations to join the Squid Game and go “from rags to riches”.
Reuters’ calls to the phone number were not answered on Wednesday.
“Together with the production company, we are working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes with phone numbers where necessary,” Netflix said on Wednesday, asking fans to refrain from prank calls or messages.