The number of Netflix's monthly active users (MAU) in South Korea hit a record high in September from a month earlier helped by the Korean-made mega hit "Squid Game," a market research firm said Sunday.

The US streaming giant's monthly active users in South Korea reached 9.48 million in September, up 9.8 percent from the previous month's 8.63 million, according to Nielsen KoreanClick. September tally marked the highest since Netflix launched its streaming service in South Korea in 2016.

The MAU appears to have reached 10 million in October if the subscriber growth continued.

Netflix has recently raised its monthly subscription fees in South Korea, as increased data traffic over "Squid Game" rekindled controversies with internet service providers over network usage.

The price hike -- the first since 2016 -- came amid criticism Netflix has refused to pay for network usage despite increased data traffic.

South Korean internet service providers have accused Netflix of free-riding on their networks despite huge traffic overload caused by the streaming service.

Dean Garfield, vice president of global public policy at Netflix, said earlier this month in Seoul he is well aware of controversies surrounding costs from increased network traffic due to a surge of viewers in South Korea.

On Friday, Kim Sang-hee, a vice speaker of the National Assembly, proposed a bill that would prevent Netflix and overseas content providers from getting a free ride on the South Korean networks. (Yonhap)