With social distancing rules and the more formal Large-Scale Social Restrictions in place, many Indonesians have turned to Korean drama series (K-drama) to pass the time at home ⁠— one of the more popular shows being The World of the Married recently.

The series tells the story of a wife seeking revenge on her cheating husband, and many viewers have become so engaged in the story that they have begun to lash out their anger onto the actress playing the character of the other woman.

Han So-hee, the actress who plays Yeo Da-kyung, the mistress of the husband character in The World of the Married, is receiving some angry comments from Indonesian viewers lately on her Instagram account. While on the one hand this means that Han So-hee masterfully played her role, it also suggests that some viewers appear unable to separate the fictional drama from reality.

We have found that the majority of comments on many of her posts are in Indonesian ⁠— with users calling her pelakor (an Indonesian portmanteau for perebut laki orang, meaning a woman who steals another woman’s man) ⁠— which is amusing, since Han So-hee presumably doesn’t even speak Indonesian.

Once a pelakor, always a pelakor

Let me tell you ya Mbak (miss). Stealing someone’s husband is prohibited in all religions. Mbak is beautiful, so I’m sure there are many men out there who will accept you for who you are. No need to steal someone’s husband for your own happiness… think about the woman whose husband you stole.

Among these comments are several Indonesian netizens who expressed their shame on their fellow countrymen/women and defended Han So-hee, including sinetron (Indonesian soap operas) actress Helmalia Putri.

Her acting is great, +62 residents (Indonesia’s country code) hold your emotions, ya

“All of you who are name calling her as pelakor, you’ll ask her for a photo if you meet her”

I pity her for being bullied when she’s only acting

It’s almost as hard to believe that so many people are this naive as it is to believe the possibility that this is the work of a highly organized group of internet trolls.

But a tweet on the issue by Indonesian celebrity Joshua Suherman suggests that the former is more likely based on anecdotes of his friends, Indonesian soap opera actors, being attacked in public for playing roles of baddies.

Dulu ada temen gw yg suka meranin antagonis, suatu hari di Mall diludahin ibu2, pernah ada yg ditampar org di mall jg. Mungkin ini kenapa pendidikan harus nyampe lebih dulu daripada sektor hiburan. https://t.co/7p9Id2Asnl — Joshua Suherman (@jojosuherman) April 20, 2020

“I have a friend who usually played antagonistic roles. One day, a woman spat at her. Another was also slapped at the mall Maybe this is why education should be prioritized more than the entertainment sector,” Joshua wrote.

The World of the Married (sometimes referred to as A World of Married Couple) is currently airing on Korean TV channel JTBC, and streamed internationally on over-the-top streaming platforms, including Viu. The series tells the story of a successful doctor Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae), who leads a seemingly perfect life, as she plans her revenge against her film director husband Lee Tae-oh (Park Hae-joon) due to his affair with Yeo Da-kyung.

The drama is currently ranked as the second-most viewed show on the channel as well as the third highest-rated drama in the country’s cable television history, just one spot below the hugely popular Crash Landing on You.

Also Read ⁠— Indonesian news channel apologizes for photo of South Korean actor Hyun Bin on story about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s health

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