LGBTQ representation in South Korean film and television

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Representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (i.e., LGBTQ) characters and themes in South Korean film and television remains a relatively small part of the country's overall media landscape. Discussions about such portrayals have grown both in academia and public LGBTQ movements. The South Korean LGBTQ rights movement, which gained momentum in the 1990s, contributed to increased visibility of queer characters and relationships in film and television. [1] While South Korea has historically been less accepting of LGBTQ identities, [2] attitudes are gradually changing. A study conducted at Chonnam National University found a growing acceptance of homosexuality in South Korea. [3]

Contents

The advent of social media, has facilitated the cultural consumption and creation of LGBTQ narratives, leading to increased representation in cinema and television. [4] [5] Activism and queer cinema have often intersected, as seen in initiatives like the Korean Queer Film Festival, which began in 1998. The festival underscores the close ties between activism and representation in South Korean media. [1]

History of LGBTQ media in South Korea

Efforts by organizations such as the Rainbow Foundation and Chingusai have helped shape public attitudes and foster greater representation of LGBTQ themes in South Korean media. [3] Contributors to queer Korean media discourse such as film, television and music include Ungsan Kim, Chung-kang Kim, Merose Hwang, Grace Jung, Jungmin Kwon, Ji-Hoon Park, Thomas Baudinette and Kristine Michelle L. Santos.

Examples of South Korean queer cinema

Below is a list of some of the films and television series that have had LGBTQ themes:

Film

FilmYearDescription
Yok mang (Desire)2002A middle class husband begins a gay affair with a male prostitute. In the process of uncovering the affair the wife also enters into an affair with the same prostitute. [6]
Camellia Project: Three Queer Stories at Bogil Island2005This movie features three separate stories of gay relationships. The first story is titled Kim Chu-ja and it details two men who were in a relationship in the past life who meet again in the present. The second story is titled Drifting Island and it is about a gay couple that is on the verge of breaking up. The last story is titled La Traviata and it centers a wife who finds out about her husband's homosexuality. [7]
The King and the Clown 2005The film is credited as popularizing and coining the phenomenon of "pretty boy or flower boy" and raised questions of gendered consumption and/or commodification of a certain type of LGBT community and the role of media within these processes. Shin has raised concerns on the role of King and the Clown in capitalizing on this hybrid notion of homosexuality for success while not truly giving the platform for the LGBT communities. [8]
No Regret 2006The film has been credited as "the first 'real' Korean gay feature", [9] (although earlier South Korean films, such as Road Movie , released in 2002, have dealt with gay relationships), and is also the first South Korean feature to be directed by an openly gay Korean filmmaker. [10]
Like a Virgin 2006The film focuses on a trans teenager who is determined to save money for the transitioning surgery. She is approached by a ssireum coach who determines her to be perfect for the sport. The main character refuses until she learns about the potential to win a large cash prize. [11]
Antique 2008Based on Fumi Yoshinaga's manga Antique Bakery , the film focuses on four men working at a bakery, one of whom is gay and has had a long-term crush on the bakery owner. [12]
Boy Meets Boy 2008This short film portrays a relationship between two guys who are just beginning to fall in love. It is set on a bus where the two characters meet and exchanges various eye contacts. [13] [ unreliable source? ]
A Frozen Flower 2008This film takes place in the Goryeo dynasty. With the pressure to continue the lineage through a son, the King instructs his military commander to impregnate the Queen. The military commander is surprised by this request especially because he has been in a relationship with the King. The commander and the Queen finally accept the request, but their relationship develops into more than just the dutiful relationship for reproduction. The plot is complicated when King finds out about their secret relationship and jealousy and betrayal take over him.
Hello My Love2009Ten years into their relationship a boyfriend leaves to study abroad, promising that he will marry his girlfriend upon his return. Once he returns he brings with him a man he claims is only a friend, only for the girlfriend to discover that the two of them are lovers. [14]
Just Friends? 2009This short film features two characters who are in love. In the short duration of the film, it portrays their love, their struggle with coming out to one of the character's mom and their undeterred love to each other. [15]
Lady Daddy 2010This film presents a transgender woman who receives a surprise visit from someone claiming that he is her son. The son reveals that the main character is his father. [16]
Ashamed 2010This film features a lesbian art director who searches for a nude model for her next project. That is how she meets Yoon Ji-woo, who also happens to share the same name as the art director, whose name is Jung Ji-woo. As they spend time together to finish the project, Yoon Ji-woo shares her past of her ex-girlfriend who also shares their name Ji-woo. This film revolves around these three women as they share this connection through their name and love. [17] [18]
Two Weddings and a Funeral 2012 Gay romantic comedy film that explores the taboos and intolerance in Korean society in the story of a gay man and lesbian who enter into a sham marriage.
Man on High Heels 2014This film is about a character that wants to go through gender-affirming surgery and is also an infamous crime detective. [19] [20]
The Handmaiden 2016Set during the 1930s, the film is inspired by the novel Fingersmith by Welsh writer Sarah Waters and features a lesbian couple from different backgrounds. [21]

Television

ShowYear(s)Description
Ireland 2004A minor character reveals that he was in love with the main character's father, and because of this he has taken care of the main character for years. The main character is shocked by this revelation.
Beating Heart 2005The show consists of six different story lines that focus on the topic of love and relationships, one of which is dedicated to LGBT relationships.
Life Is Beautiful 2010A drama series that revolves around multiple generations of a single family and their everyday lives, struggles, and loves. The series has received praise for its portrayal of a loving, openly gay couple in a Korean drama on primetime network television. [22] [23]
Personal Taste 2010The plot revolves around a man who pretends to be gay. His boss, who actually is gay, propositions him, and is tactfully turned down.
Secret Garden A secondary character is gay. He has a crush on the second male lead, which sets up a love triangle.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal One of the four main characters is gay. He has a crush on his best friend. It is not reciprocated. Meanwhile, the main male lead falls in love with a person he believes is a man, but is actually a woman in disguise. He struggles with what he believes to be a homosexual attraction.
Lily Fever2015Web series about a lesbian relationship.
Cheese in the Trap 2016The main character discovers her boss and her neighbor are in a gay relationship with each other. They are attempting to keep their relationship a secret.
Prison Playbook 2017The show is about a baseball player who is sent to jail for a year. One of the characters who share the jail space is gay.
Be Melodramatic 2019The series features three best friends who all carry their own traumas and burdens. They end up living together with one of the character's gay brother. The series focus on their daily lives of friendship and love.
Where Your Eyes Linger 2020A web series about two high school students who are best friends named Tae Joo and Gang Gook. However, they don't have a typical friendship as Gang Gook also serves as an unofficial bodyguard for the other school boy who is the sole heir of a chaebol family. As the web series progresses, both school boys begin to realize their suppressed feelings for each other.
Mr. HeartMr. Heart is a web series showcasing the relationship between a rising marathon star and pacemaker.
Wish YouA series about a singer songwriter named Kang In Soo and keyboardist Yoon Sang Yi.
Color Rush2020–2021Based on Se Sang's web novel with the same title, Color Rush tells the story of school boy Yeon Woo who can only see the world in varying tones of grey. That is until he crosses paths with Yoo Han, who causes him to see sudden rushes of color every time he walks past.
Light on Me 2021Woo Tae-kyung is a 18-year-old Korean average boy who has no friends. One day, his teacher approached him in order to suggest him to join the school's student council. Tae-kyung proceeds to enjoy his new social life and starts questioning if he may or may not like one of his fellow council members.
Nobleman Ryu's WeddingIt occurs during the Joseon dynasty, the wedding of Ryu Ho Seon and the beautiful bride Choi Hwa Jin begins. But on the first night, the bride he expected is suspicious. It's not a woman, but a man!
Tinted With YouA series about a high school student name Jung Eun Ho who falls through a magical painting and gets transported back to the Joseon dynasty, where he falls in love with the crown prince Lee Heon.
To My Star2021–2022A follow up project of the web series Where Your Eyes Linger , a series about a famous celebrity who goes into hiding after he's public scandal reveals. In his hideout, he gets acquainted with his new roommate, an ordinary man who leads a modest, unassuming life. As they spend time together, a romance blossoms between these two roommates from very different walks of life.
Mine 2022Series about three women tied to a chaebol family whose lives are transformed as they seek to find their true 'mine'. The series features the first lesbian lead character in a K-drama. [24] [ unreliable source? ] [25] [ unreliable source? ] [26] [27] [28]
Squid Game 2024The second season features an openly transgender woman, seeking to finish her transition with the prize money from completing several deadly games. Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director of Squid Game, chose Park Sung-hoon, a cisgender man to play the role due to a distinct lack of openly transgender actors in South Korea with the hope that "By creating a character much like Cho Hyun-ju, and through her choices, her actions, and the way she carries herself in the game, I hope that that could raise awareness of these issues we face today." [29]

References

  1. 1 2 Kim, Jeongmin; Hong, Sunghee (December 2007). "Queer cultural movements and local counterpublics of sexuality: a case of Seoul Queer Films and Videos Festival 1". Inter-Asia Cultural Studies. 8 (4): 617–633. doi:10.1080/14649370701568086. ISSN   1464-9373. S2CID   144362714.
  2. ↑ Thoreson, Ryan R. (1 November 2014), "LGBT Human Rights Advocacy and the Partnership Principle", Transnational LGBT Activism, University of Minnesota Press, pp. 122–152, doi:10.5749/minnesota/9780816692712.003.0005, ISBN   978-0-8166-9271-2
  3. 1 2 Youn, Gahyun (23 March 2017). "Attitudinal Changes Toward Homosexuality During the Past Two Decades (1994–2014) in Korea". Journal of Homosexuality. 65 (1): 100–116. doi:10.1080/00918369.2017.1310512. ISSN   0091-8369. PMID   28332928. S2CID   26790960.
  4. ↑ Jeong, Kelly Y. (1970- ) (2011). Crisis of gender and the nation in Korean literature and cinema : modernity arrives again. Lexington Books. ISBN   978-0-7391-2451-2. OCLC   951416838.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ 김필호; C. COLIN SINGER (June 2011). "Three Periods of Korean Queer Cinema: Invisible, Camouflage, and Blockbuster". Acta Koreana . 14 (1): 117–136. doi: 10.18399/acta.2011.14.1.005 . ISSN   1520-7412.
  6. ↑ Gateward, Frances (1 February 2012). Seoul Searching: Culture and Identity in Contemporary Korean Cinema. SUNY Press. pp. 10, 284. ISBN   978-0-7914-7933-9.
  7. ↑ Howland, Douglas; Lillehoj, Elizabeth; Mayer, Maximilian (1 December 2016). Art and Sovereignty in Global Politics. Springer. p. 228. ISBN   978-1-349-95016-4.
  8. ↑ Shin, Jeeyoung (2013). "Male Homosexuality in The King and the Clown: Hybrid Construction and Contested Meanings". The Journal of Korean Studies . 18 (1): 89–114. doi:10.1353/jks.2013.0006. ISSN   2158-1665. S2CID   143374035.
  9. ↑ Bertolin, Paolo. "Korean Presence Strong at 57th Berlin Film Festival". Hancinema , 6 February 2007; originally published by The Korea Times . Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
  10. ↑ Hartzell, Adam. "No Regrets". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
  11. ↑ Lee Min-a, Sylvia Kim (21 August 2006). "Tender wrestler fights for a sex change in film". Korea JoongAng Daily . Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Antique: This light souffle has a few too many ingredients to achieve a satisfactory balance". Variety . Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Choi, Hui-jin. "남자를 안는다는 건 상상도 못했는데, 머쓱했어요" Archived 24 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Sonyeon, Sonnyeoneul Mannada. 12 November 2010. Daum. Retrieved on 9 December 2010.
  14. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won (October 2009). "Hello My Love Sugarcoats Sensitive Subject". Korea Times. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  15. ↑ "영화 [친구사이?] 가 제14회 부산국제영화제에 공식 초청되었습니다." Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine . Chingusai. Chingusai, 6 Oct. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2010.
  16. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won. "Actress Lee Shows Off 'Handsome' Look", The Korea Times, January 1, 2010, accessed January 14, 2011.
  17. ↑ Sung, So-young (25 November 2011). "Breaking a taboo, first major film about the L-word opens in Korea". Korea JoongAng Daily . Archived from the original on 5 April 2012.
  18. ↑ Lee, Claire (17 November 2011). "Two different gay films to arrive on K-film scene". The Korea Herald .
  19. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (25 April 2013). "Charming and Addictive Korean Films: Action drama in a unique style - High Heel (working title)". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  20. ↑ Conran, Pierce (2 May 2014). "Man on High Heels". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  21. ↑ Shin, Chi-Yun (19 September 2018). "In another time and place: The Handmaiden as an adaptation". Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema. 11 (1): 1–13. doi: 10.1080/17564905.2018.1520781 . ISSN   1756-4905.
  22. ↑ Yang, Sung-hee (20 May 2010). "Writer pushing buttons on TV, again". Korea JoongAng Daily . Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  23. ↑ Lee, Sooin; Nahm, Sooyeon (13 September 2010). "Drama reveals changing attitudes about homosexuality". Korea JoongAng Daily . Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  24. ↑ Hong, C (28 June 2021). "Kim Seo Hyung Talks About Playing A Lesbian Character In "Mine," Admiration For Lee Bo Young, And More". Soompi . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Valley, Alicia (28 June 2021). ""Mine" Star Kim Seo Hyung Opens Up About Choosing The Lesbian Role". Koreaboo.com. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  26. ↑ Park, Soo-in (28 June 2021). '마인' 김서형 "성소수자 멜로 원했다‥한국판 '캐롤'도 만났으면"[EN:인터뷰] ['Mine' Kim Seo-hyung: "I wanted an LGBT melodrama..I also wanted the Korean version of 'Carol'" [EN: Interview]]. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  27. ↑ Nitura, Jam; Caoile, Jhanine (30 June 2021). "Kim Seo Hyung Reveals She Chose "Mine" for the K-Drama's LGBT Love Story". Preview. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  28. ↑ "LGBTQ Characters in 2021 K-dramas". GwenchaNoona. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  29. ↑ "Squid Game creator explains why cis actor plays trans character".

[1]

  1. ↑ Jung, Grace (2021). "Queer politics of Korean variety TV: state, industry & genre". Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media (60).
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