Netflix's series Squid Game is the latest of a number of South Korean movies and TV shows which have taken the world by storm. That and the success of Kpop groups like BTS has led to a rise in popularity of Korean pop culture.
However, not everyone in South Korea is exactly pleased with the success of Squid Game. Kim Gil-young, a businesswoman from Seongju and a man from Gyeonggi Province have been inundated with phone calls and messages after their contact numbers appeared on the TV show.
Squid Game, where debt-ridden contestants play a macabre version of Korean children's games for a prize of 45.6 billion won ($38.31 million), has become a massive hit.
The numbers can be seen on the invitation card given to potential players of the squid game.
In an interview with Korean news channel SBS, Kim said that she cannot change her contact as that is the number she uses for her business and would lead to her losing clients. SBS reported that Kim was offered 5 million won ($4180) as compensation.
The man from Gyeonggi, who declined to reveal his identity, said he had been getting close to 4,000 calls every day even getting calls after midnight with strangers stating they want to take part in the game.
The man told MBC that he has resorted to taking sleeping pills to help him fall asleep due to the stress.
Huh Kyung-young, the National Revolutionary Party's honorary chief and a presidential nominee has jumped on the bandwagon offering 100 million won ($85,000) to buy the number.
However, sale and purchase of phone numbers is illegal under Korean law.
Netflix stated that they are working to edit the number in the show along with local production company Siren Pictures. "Together with the production company, we are working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes with phone numbers where necessary," a Netflix spokesperson told The Independent.
According to Reuters, Korean Film Council offers film and TV show creators with fake phone numbers that aren't used in real life. However, OTT services like Netflix do not have access to that service.