Just B’s Bain, Wassup’s Jiae among stars helping break stigma by coming out
An increasing number of celebrities in Korea are coming out as LGBTQ, opening up about their identities and personal lives in a way that signals progress toward greater acceptance and visibility in society.
Veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung revealed in an interview with Hollywood media outlets that her eldest son came out as gay in 2000. “When same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, I held my son’s wedding there,” she said. “Now, I love my son-in-law even more than my son.”
Entertainer Hong Seok-cheon, one of Korea’s earliest public figures to come out, responded warmly on social media, saying Youn’s story surprised, moved and comforted him.
More recently, Bain of K-pop boy group Just B publicly came out during the group’s world tour stop in Los Angeles. “I’m proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community,” he said, becoming the first member of a K-pop boy band to do so. The acronym LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.
Other artists have also shared their identities. Jiae of girl group Wassup previously came out as bisexual, while Lara of KATSEYE has also said she identifies as queer.
Transgender entertainer Pungja is actively working in Korean variety television. While accepting a rookie award at the 2023 MBC Entertainment Awards, she tearfully said, “To my father, who worries I’ll be excluded from society for being different — I want to show him that I’m loved and recognized.”
The public declarations of these celebrities carry powerful meaning. Although recent dramas such as Netflix’s “Squid Game” Season 2 and JTBC’s “The Tale of Lady Ok” have included LGBTQ characters, these fictional stories have inherent limitations. The real-world experiences from familiar figures like Bain and Youn Yuh-jung create a more profound and relatable impact.
Shin Pil-gyu, an activist at the Beyond the Rainbow Foundation — Korea’s first LGBTQ rights foundation — said that while public coming outs do not completely eliminate prejudice, they help reduce harmful stereotypes.
“People sometimes incite hatred by portraying LGBTQ individuals as promiscuous or deviant,” Shin said. “But when beloved public figures come out, those toxic images begin to break down.”
Shin also noted that these stars play a pioneering role in pushing the entertainment industry toward a more inclusive and equitable environment.
“Many LGBTQ people work in the arts,” he said. “The industry needs to become a space where artists and staff can safely express who they are. When those who once lacked the courage are inspired by these pioneers, and more people come forward, the workplace itself can move closer to gender equality.”
While Korean society remains largely conservative toward LGBTQ issues, signs of change are growing. LGBTQ characters in media often remain minor or comic roles, but the real-life courage of celebrities helps shift that narrative.
Their openness sends a message that LGBTQ individuals are also deserving of support — a message that resonates far beyond the spotlight.
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