The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Cable show embroiled in ‘sisterboy’ dispute

By Yoon Min-sik

Published : June 28, 2013 - 18:19

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A popular South Korean TV show which introduces eccentric people drew fire on Friday over its latest episode featuring an intimate relationship between a brother and his sisters.

“Martian Virus,” a cable TV program on tvN, touched off a firestorm of criticisms online Friday after it aired an episode of a high school student dubbed “sisterboy.”

The boy, featured in Thursday’s episode, depends heavily on his two sisters, who spoon-feed him, wash him and even carry him on their backs when he has to go to the bathroom.

“Mothers wash their babies and clean them. It’s the same for me, I feed my brother and tuck him in,” said one of the sisters.

Some of their behavior, however, was deemed abnormal for siblings. The sisters checked their brother’s feces, and even kissed him on the lips frequently while feeding him.

“We get intimate with each other like lovers do. Some people may think we’re a couple,” another sister said.

The siblings’ peculiar behavior led many viewers to raise questions on the authenticity of the show. Some people alleged the “sisterboy,” who reportedly once worked as a fashion model for an online shopping mall, seemed to have joined the show to promote himself.

Moon Tae-ju, the producer of “Martian Virus,” denied such rumors, insisting that the show was not staged.

“The main character (of the show) lived apart from his parents, so his sisters had to raise him,” Moon said. “The way the siblings express themselves just happens to be more liberal than most people. They have their own story.”

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)