K-pop: Why 's hard for stars to be gay South Korea | CNN

Contents:

• FIRST OPENLY GAY K-POP BOY BAND RELEAS SGLE ‘SHOW ME YOUR PRI’
• IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
• THIS ALLEGEDLY 'GAY' K-POP GROUP IS THRIVG WH RECENT SOLO TRACK 'ADRENALINE'

FIRST OPENLY GAY K-POP BOY BAND RELEAS SGLE ‘SHOW ME YOUR PRI’

LGBTQ+ people the untry faced a backlash last year after an outbreak of COVID-19 was lked to gay clubs the untry's pal, Seoul. Holland is not the first known LGBT K-pop idol, but you n say that this new generatn of K-pop, he's one of the first idols who admted that he's gay. He ially me out as gay 2015, and upon g Korea, his iends told him to keep his sexualy secret - but he's proud of his inty, makg him the first Korean artist who is openly gay.

However, durg an terview, she nfsed she is gay, g her to be kicked out om her agency. Queer K-pop boy band Lns have their sights set on beg LGBTQ+ ins a untry not known for s tolerance towards homosexualy.

Published: 5:15pm, 27 Jun, 2022 Updated: 2:21am, 28 Jun, 2022 Queer K-pop boy band Lns have their sights set on beg LGBTQ+ ins a untry not known for s tolerance towards homosexualy.

IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY

HOLLAND’s “Neverland” This was the but song of the first openly gay K-Pop idol – a te in.

BESTIE’s “Exce Me” At one pot the vio, a girl asks a guy for his number – but he turns out to be gay.

Nell’s “The Day Before” This song addrs the heavy relatn between homosexualy and suici. What is like to be gay South Korea? Homophobia is still rife South Korea, where very few mastream mic stars have e out as gay.

THIS ALLEGEDLY 'GAY' K-POP GROUP IS THRIVG WH RECENT SOLO TRACK 'ADRENALINE'

There, homosexual sex is not banned, but is illegal the ary, where almost all men mt plete a stt of pulsory nscriptn. “It’s kd of sad, ” said Jungm Kwon, an amic who wrote a book lled “Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasi. “On the one hand looks like the dtry is very open md to shippg culture, ” she told CNN, referrg to the culture among fans of imagg relatnships between their favore stars – cludg gay relatnships.

Acrdg to Kwon, fans were spired by “yaoi” – a kd of Japane manga that featur gay relatnships between male upl – and began makg up stori about their favore stars. Even now, K-pop labels sometim cultivate idols’ homoerotic appeal the hop that mak them more popular fanfictn, where Kwon timat 80% of stori volve gay story l. South Korea’s rerd labels are happy to let fans fantasize about idols beg gay.