diff --git a/bin/ikarus b/bin/ikarus
index 2f5522e..36b5f12 100755
Binary files a/bin/ikarus and b/bin/ikarus differ
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-runtime.c b/bin/ikarus-runtime.c
index 058744c..c42e671 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-runtime.c
+++ b/bin/ikarus-runtime.c
@@ -672,7 +672,12 @@ ikp ik_close(ikp fd){
 
 ikp 
 ik_system(ikp str){
-  return fix(system(string_data(str)));
+  if(tagof(str) == bytevector_tag){
+    return fix(system((char*)str+off_bytevector_data));
+  } else {
+    fprintf(stderr, "bug in ik_system\n");
+    exit(-1);
+  }
 }
 
 static char*
diff --git a/src/ikarus.boot b/src/ikarus.boot
index 7b2ef87..44606a2 100644
Binary files a/src/ikarus.boot and b/src/ikarus.boot differ
diff --git a/src/ikarus.posix.ss b/src/ikarus.posix.ss
index 85d3ba2..03dda6c 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.posix.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.posix.ss
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@
     (lambda (x)
       (unless (string? x)
         (error 'system "~s is not a string" x))
-      (let ([rv (foreign-call "ik_system" x)])
+      (let ([rv (foreign-call "ik_system"
+                  (string->utf8-bytevector x))])
         (if (fx= rv -1)
             (error 'system "failed")
             rv))))
diff --git a/src/makefile.ss b/src/makefile.ss
index 421d776..1350943 100755
--- a/src/makefile.ss
+++ b/src/makefile.ss
@@ -467,6 +467,8 @@
     [immediate?              i]
     [pointer-value           i]
 
+    [system                  i]
+
     [installed-libraries     i]
     [compile-core-expr-to-port   $boot]
     [current-primitive-locations $boot]