Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk's work was rejected for 10 YEARS before creating the show

Squid Game has soared to popularity since its release on Netflix last month.

But director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed his work was rejected for 10 years because of its ‘bizarre’ concept.

‘After about 12 years, the world has changed into a place where such peculiar, violent survival stories are actually welcomed,’ he told The Korea Times.

‘People commented on how the series is relevant to real life. Sadly, the world has changed in that direction,’ he added.

‘The series’ games that participants go crazy over align with people’s desires to hit the jackpot with things like cryptocurrency, real estate and stocks. So many people have been able to empathise with the story,’ Hwang continued.

He also admitted he knew Squid Game would be a ‘a masterpiece or a quirky flop’, because the ‘idea behind this work was very experimental’.

Squid Game has soared to popularity globally ever since its release last month – with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos saying it has a a ‘very good chance’ of becoming the streamer’s most popular show yet.

The South Korean series is a survival thriller set in modern-day Seoul, where a group of 456 people are invited to play a series of children’s games with the chance to win a huge amount of money – but if you lose in the game, you lose your life.

On Tuesday, News.com.au claimed many viewers are watching the hugely popular series the ‘wrong’ way as they are watching either the English-language dub or reading the closed caption subtitles.

The closed caption subtitles simply sub the English dub of the series, instead of conveying the official Korean to English subtitles.

For non-Korean speakers, the official subtitled version is recommended for the best experience.

Kiwi director Taika Waititi has even weighed into the debate, urging Netflix users to avoid the English dub.

‘You don’t have to watch Squid Game dubbed in English,’ he tweeted to his million followers this week.