Squid Game: Korean man bombarded with over 4,000 calls ‘after real number used in hit Netflix series’

‘It has come to the point where people are reaching out day and night due to their curiosity,’ unnamed man told the press

Netflix’s hit series Squid Game has allegedly exposed a real phone number belonging to a Korean citizen, who is now apparently receiving thousands of calls from fans of the show.

The phone number was reportedly featured in the first episode, where it is seen written on a business card handed over to Lee Jung-Jae’s character, Seong Gi-Hun, in the subway station by a mysterious man in a black suit.

The purported real-life owner of the phone number told Money Today that he has since been receiving “endless” calls and text messages.

“It has come to the point where people are reaching out day and night due to their curiosity. It drains my phone’s battery and it turns off,” the man, who hails from the Gyeonggi province, said.

“At first, I didn’t know why, then my friend told me that my number came out in Squid Game.”

The unnamed man also revealed that it would be inconvenient for him to change his number because he has used it for business for the past 10 years. He claimed that his wife is also suffering from prank calls, as she has the same number except for the last digit.

According to a sister paper of Korea Times, Netflix said they are in negotiations with the phone number owner to resolve the issue.

The Independent has reached out to Netflix for comment.

Squid Game, which arrived on Netflix on 17 September, has become one of the streaming service’s biggest-ever shows in a matter of days.

The Korean-language thriller explores a dystopian reality, in which a mysterious organisation recruits people in debt to compete in a series of apparently childish games for the chance to win a life-changing amount of money.

The games are based on classic children’s games, some of which are specific to Korea, while others, such as “Red Light, Green Light”, are known worldwide.

Unlike typical children’s games, however, those in Squid Game have deadly consequences should you lose.

Squid Game is available to watch now on Netflix.