Ananova:

A South Korean medical website is planning to show a sex-change operation live on the internet.

The webcast by the internet medical information company eHospital (www.clinic.co.kr) will show an operation at a hospital in Seocho-dong, Seoul.

The company will provide streamed video coverage of male genital removal, urethral transformation and the insertion of artificial female genitalia. The four-hour surgery will be edited into 10 minutes for the webcast, the company says.

The patient in question is a pianist in his 20s.

"I hope the broadcast will help give a better image of transgender surgeries in our society," says Chung Ik, a programming director with eHospital.

However, critics say that broadcasting the surgery is just a gimmick to attract people to the website.

Mr Chung says there is some objection to the webcast, reports the JoongAngIlbo.

"We've interviewed some people who have received the surgery and asked how they felt about the planned broadcast. Some were furious, saying there was no need to show it to the public," he adds.