Man hounded with ‘thousands’ of calls after his number is shown on Netflix show

The man has told how his life turned upside down after his number was featured on Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ – a new hit South Korean show that is currently number one in the UK’s Netflix charts

A man says his life was “turned upside down” when his phone number was used in a Netflix show.

The man – from South Korea – has told how he has been harassed by thousands of people who call him at “all hours of the day and night” since they saw his number featured in the Netflix drama ‘Squid Game.’

The hit show follows a group of people who risk their lives in a survival game, with the aim of winning money.

Debt-ridden players sign up to compete in six games with the chance of winning around £28m. In the Hunger Games style format, losers lose their lives. In the first episode, titled Grandma’s Footsteps, bodies are piled high as the winners make their way to round two.

What follows is another eight episodes of horror and gore.

It premiered on the streaming giant on September 17 and is already proving to be hugely popular, and has reportedly become the first South Korean drama to hit the top of Netflix’s American charts. It is currently number one in the UK.

Korean superstar Gong Yoo makes his cameo appearance in the series where he can be seen handing a business card to actor Lee Jung Jae.

The card is complete with a number to call to take part in the survival game – however the number does not lead to that and instead belongs to the man who says he is now receiving thousands of calls from fans of the show.

He says he has been using the number for over 10 years and added: “I’ve had to delete over 4,000 numbers from my phone. 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. At first, I didn’t know why, and then my friend told me that my number came out in ‘Squid’ Game.'”

Local media reports that eight digits appeared on the business card in the series, instead of the normal 10 or 11. The show’s production team removed the first three numbers, representing the area code, instead of numbers elsewhere.

It means that anyone living within the city code could dial the number locally and get through to the man.

Netflix has confirmed they are in contact with the man and are currently working with the production company Siren Pictures to settle the matter.