Queer TV Korea....

Local Korean TV Still Cautious About Homosexuality

Actor Hong Seok-chun made history in 2000 by becoming the first
public figure in the country to openly admit that he is homosexual.
His announcement stirred strong controversy in a country where discussion
on sexuality is rare, and resulted in him being shunned by the
mainstream entertainment industry.

Hong Seok-chun, left photo, from 'A Sad Love Story', is the first
openly gay character in a Korean television drama, while American shows
such as the hit HBO series 'Queer as Folk'(an American re-make of a
hugely successful British show), right photo, have made homosexuality
a popular theme on cable.

In the four years since Hong came out, the actor has slowly been able
to return to his acting career. However, the question of how much Korean
television has changed regarding the issue of homosexuality remains.

On cable TV, it seems that homosexuality is no longer taboo. With
gay-related programs already topping the lists of popular programs
since late last year, 'The L Word', an American TV-series featuring
lesbians as the main characters, went on the air for the first time in
Korea in January through cable channel Catch On Plus.


Gay programs with high ratings in cable TV include Home CGV's
'Queer As Folk' and On Style's 'Will & Grace', 'Queer Eye for
the Straight Guy', and 'Playing it Straight'.

'Queer As Folk', about a circle of gay friends living in Pittsburgh,
Pa., is the most popular of the shows, spawning several Internet fan
cafes with the largest one having more than 49,000 members.

Kim Soo-young, a Home CGV producer, said that that although most of
the viewers start to watch the drama out of curiosity, expecting
sensational scenes, they become fascinated with the detailed portrayals
of emotions, convincing story line, interesting phases of personal
relationships and the stylish music and fashion.

'It is the first drama featuring homosexuals as main characters to be
aired in Korea and due to its success here, many other cable channels
have started to telecast homosexual-related programs', Kim said. 'Since
homosexual fashion and consumption pattern are high-end and en vogue,
the higher the public's income level becomes, the bigger the demand for
such programs from the public will be'.

One viewer who wished to remain anonymous, a lesbian from KiriKiri,
a homosexual activist organization, said that although she did not
identify with the programs because of the different settings, it is
amazing that such a program could be made abroad without no restrictions,
portraying gays and lesbians like ordinary people.

'When gay or lesbian characters are on Korean TV, they are usually
described as the subject of mockery or someone who is strange and abnormal'
she said.

Other than these imported programs, when it comes to major TV networks,
there is rarely a program that explicitly deals with homosexual characters
made by Koreans. Aside from single-episode short dramas, regular drama
series rarely feature homosexual characters and if there is one, the
role is either very minor or comical.

In SBS drama 'Perfect Love' in 2003, Hong played the role of the gay
roommate of the heroine, the first explicitly gay character in a Korean
drama series.

He was portrayed as a positive character with great fashion sense and
giving helpful advice to his friend who was worried about relationship
problems.

However, many experts pointed out that his character was excessively
'unrealistic' since he seemed to be too giving and tolerant of all
of the incomprehensible hysteria of his roommate.

Recent programs featuring the implication of homosexuality include MBC's
'A Sad Love Story' and the immensely popular MBC situation comedy
'Hello, Franceska', which is about a group of vampires from Romania
who come to Seoul.

In 'A Sad Love Story', which ended last week, Hong played the minor role
of 'waiter Charlie', this time again, a comical and feminine character.
The drama did not mention the character's sexual preference.

In one episode of 'Hello Franceska', a male vampire named Kyon competed
with another female vampire, Ryo-won, for who gets to go on the first date
with a doctor whom they both have a crush on. When Kyon says to Ryo-won that
the doctor smiled at him, Roy-won says to him, 'This is Korea! Korea is not
a place with a gay-friendly culture!'.

In another scene, Kyon says, 'It is time for Korean gays to come out of
the closet'.

After the episode went on air, the drama's Internet board was filled with
viewers' comments that praised the program for portraying gays in a bright
way, unlike other TV programs that portray gay culture as gloomy and negative.

In particular, regarding Kyon's words 'come out of the closet',
some viewers interpreted it as an explicit calling for the activation
of gay culture.

'As a Korean gay who is having a hard time, I was afraid that the program
would say something belittling gays. I sincerely applaud the program for
satirizing the hidden aspects of Korean society', Cho Kwang-hoon, a viewer
of the drama, wrote on the board.

However, Shin Chung-gu, the writer of the program, said that such lines
held no particular political intentions and were written for fun. 'I was
somewhat embarrassed when the viewers considered Kyon's lines as some
historic comment urging homosexuals to act upon their sexual identity'.

Shin went on to say that although homosexuality has become a popular
theme of domestic cable channels, it is still considered a taboo subject
in major TV networks and said that it is highly unlikely that Korean programs
will openly feature homosexual characters soon.

'Before Hello, Franceska,I planned to write a sit-com with a lesbian as the
main character, but due to public sentiment, it was cancelled', Shin said.

When asked if Kyon portrays a homosexual character, Shin denied the
character's homosexuality, saying that his sexual orientation has not
yet been confirmed.

`He is just a guy who likes to look good and be loved, which corresponds
to the concept of metrosexuality. I have no plan to have a homosexual
character in the program for the time being'.

Jung Soon-won, a fashion columnist and CEO of BOBOS, the Korean accessory
brand exclusively for men, also said that although gay culture will be
accepted with the opening of the society, for the time being, it is still
considered taboo in Korean society. 'There are even people who reject the
current trend of metrosexuality claiming that it is related to gay culture,
which is not true', he said.

Original Source: The Korea Times