MANILA - Kapamilya sitcom "Home Sweetie Home" received flak from fans of Korean boy group Super Junior for implying that they are already passe.
In its episode aired Saturday, the characters of the show, including those played by young actresses Michelle Vito, Katrina Legaspi and Miles Ocampo, were in South Korea for a trip.
Empoy Marquez's character then asked the girls whether it is part of their "bucket list" to see Super Junior.
The girls then expressed their dismay, saying groups like BTS (Bantan Seonyondan) are more popular nowadays.
"Super Junior? Uy, Sir Nards, BTS na ang uso ngayon. Napaka-tito mo talaga," Gigi (Ocampo) said.
Immediately after the episode aired, Super Junior fans, known as ELF (Everlasting Friends), took to social media to express outrage at what the show did to their idols.
Among those who expressed dismay is Happee Sy of Pulp Live World, the promoter who brought Super Junior to Manila earlier this year.
Other fan groups also shared their opinions.
Hashtags #RespectSuperJunior and #ApologizeToSuperJunior also topped the trends on Twitter.
'HOME SWEETIE HOME' APOLOGIZES
On Sunday, the people behind the show posted a statement on Facebook.
According to the show, they merely wanted to establish Super Junior's seniority over other groups.
Vito, Ocampo and Legazpi also took to social media to apologize to Super Junior fans.
Ocampo also said she had no idea about K-pop and was only following what was written in the script.
Super Junior, one of the groups who helped spread K-pop worldwide, last performed in Manila on June 30 for "Super Show 7."
They were also in Manila in 2013 for "Super Show 5."
Super Junior debuted in 2005 under SM Entertainment. The group is originally composed of 13 members - Leeteuk, Heechul, Hangeng, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum and Kyuhyun.
The group currently has eight active members.