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Meet Holland, South Korea’s first openly gay K-pop idol

On January 22, rookie K-pop idol Holland debuted his R&B balled “Neverland” that caused major buzz in South Korea and worldwide — earning him the title of being the ‘First Openly Gay K-Pop Idol’.

As of early March, the music video garnered a respectable viewership of 7.5 million in just three months. But make no mistake, Holland was not represented by any agency at that point in time (sadly, not now either), every element of the video; from conceptualisation to production, was managed wholly by Holland himself.

Possibly the most controversial scene in Neverland

In interviews with idol-news sites, Holland shared that he was a victim of school bullying due to his sexuality — to the extent where he tried to commit suicide. As a troubled homosexual, he tried to seek solace in his close friends, by sharing with them his “secret” of being gay. They didn’t keep his secret; and being “different” meant that Holland had to survive through three tough years of school violence.

There weren’t any gay public figures in South Korea back then that could validate his struggles, and it’s precisely because of his hardship that he wanted to debut as an openly gay idol for the teens out there to know that they are not alone.

“This song is for the kids who are having a bad time because of their identity… I wanted to comfort them with this song while they’re struggling,” he said, in an interview with SBS Pop Asia.

Holland wants to be the role model that he never had

Neverland is a place where Peter Pan resides, and it’s symbolic of purity and innocence — in Holland’s case, he appeals to struggling teens to be honest with their feelings, free of societal restrictions about appropriate sexuality expressed through fixed gender binaries.

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Where South Korea stands with homosexuality

Generally speaking, the millennial-aged South Koreans are gradually becoming more tolerant of homosexuality. They aren’t necessarily comfortable with seeing it in the media, but they don’t oppose the idea of it. The older generation, on the other hand, still frown upon it.

Taking it to the streets: What Koreans think of homosexuality

A poll conducted by The ASAN Institute for Policy Studies on Korean’s tolerance of homosexuality by age (%).

There are a couple of reasons as to why the ignorance against LGBT+ rights is being perpetuated. For one, South Korea still practices censorship of homosexuality content online — Samsung blocked gay hookup app Hornet from being listed in its app store in 2013, and Google Play removed Jack’d from their database a few years ago.

Two, LGBT issues seem to be major “deal breakers” when it boiled down to legislative politics. Most anti-discrimination bills faced fierce opposition from Christian and conservative groups, making the topic a sticky issue for most politicians to handle.

While there is increasing support for Korea’s pride celebrations, the LGBT community still faces fierce opposition from conservative groups. (x, x)

And while more people have been stepping out in support of Seoul’s annual pride festival, the party atmosphere was always met with angry protesters along the perimeters, with police and authorities keeping keen eyes on the “queer” group.

Hong Seok-cheon is an admirable Korean celebrity who survived through the adversity of social discrimination. (x)

Evidently, Korea still has a long way to go with its acceptance of homosexuality. While Holland is the first to come out about his sexuality right from the get-go — he isn’t the first to step out of the closet in the media scene. Celebrity Hong Seok-cheon admitted that he was gay on a variety show in 2000, and got fired from his jobs and stripped of endorsements amid public uproar.

Gay actor Kim Ji-hoo committed suicide in 2008, after facing discrimination following his coming out. Three weeks before, transgender entertainer Jang Chae-won hung herself under similar circumstances.

Holland mentions there is no meet-and-greet schedule for Korean fans yet.

As for Holland, he hasn’t received any major backlash from the public (yet). But despite the massive success of Neverland, no agency has stepped forth to represent him, and he mentioned that are no concrete plans for a meet-and-greet with Korean fans — despite already planning for one with his international fans.

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Homosexuality in K-media and fan-fiction  (and why those “don’t count”)

Now, the homosexuality theme isn’t uncommon in K-dramas. Right off the bat, there are hit series that dabbled with the idea of homosexuality — but explored using coy devices.

K-dramas circumvent the subject of homosexuality by playing with the idea of “what if”. Take it from the classic gender-swap plot device; audiences are tempted into the idea of say, a guy falling for another guy, as in the case of You’re Beautiful and Coffee Prince.

In You’re Beautiful

Jeremy (played by Lee Hong-ki) refuses to accept a half-eaten apple by Gu Mi-Nam (played by Park Shin-hye) in fear of an indirect kiss with a guy.

In Coffee Prince

Choi Han-kyul (played by Gong Yoo) in turmoil over his love for Go Eun-chan (played by Yoon Eun-hye) because of his gender. 

In both cases, the male lead(s) falls for the female (cross-dressed as a guy) and starts wondering about his sexuality and perhaps what’s “wrong” with him. He eventually relents, giving in to the idea of liking someone of his gender. But these moments aren’t pivotal enough, because his love interest isn’t a man to begin with... and he is eventually saved from the repercussions of being homosexual.

Intimate scenes between Han Hong-nan and Song Yi-yeon

Similarly, in Please Come Back Mister, an illogical sex-switching reincarnation (I know, right?) ironically allows the audience to better accept the idea of two women falling for each other. Han Hong-nan (played by Oh Yeon-seo) is a temporary reincarnation of a man in a woman’s body, and that “justifies” the intimacy between her and Song Yi-yeon (played by Lee Ha-nui).

A stereotypical portrayal of a homosexual character — from dressing to personality — in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Shame!

A particular series that came under fire by international crowds is the gag portrayal of gay character Kim Kwang-bok (played by Kim Won-hae) in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. The show included running jokes about characters perceived as gay, and the actual gay is being depicted as a petty, obnoxious antagonist.

There are, however, honourable mentions where homosexuality is being illustrated in a mature and non-stereotypical manner — such as Personal Taste, Life Is Beautiful, and Reply 1997 — but these remain few and far between. That said, according to the study Television Drama Viewing and Romantic Beliefs: Considering Parasocial Interaction and Attachment Style, the contradictory depicts of romantic relationships in K-dramas cause viewers to develop ambivalent attitudes towards romance. Dramas, no matter how realistic, still remain as a barrier between reality and fantasy for discerning viewers.

K-pop

Flashy as they are, K-pop idols do at times address non-normative sexual identities in their songs and music videos. However, critics argue that it’s possible for fans to view these acts as extensions of fan-service, than a direct confrontation of homophobia and oppression.

In Because Of You, the music video follows a lesbian love narrative, yet the lyrics include the word “boy” time and again

Songs like Because Of You (Afterschool, 2012), Touch (Anda, 2016) and Wish Tree (Red Velvet 2015) have clear disjuncts between visuals and lyrics. The “performance” of queerness still remains up to a viewer’s interpretation, which don’t serve to guide fans in seeing homosexuality in a new light.

Super Junior and SHINee cross-dressed as girls, while dancing to SNSD’s Gee. 

While we’re on the the topic of fan-service, allow some light to be shed on the hypocrisy of it all. Fan-service usually includes members of boy bands (not so much of girl groups) implying romance between each other. It’s something that fans — mostly girls — expect from their idol groups, and pairings tend to be created via fan-fiction. Very much like publicity stunts, idols perform fan-service to remain relevant in the K-pop sphere for survival purposes. 

Many argue that homosexuality in fan-fiction is “okay” in South Korea because one, they aren’t real, and two, they are created to satisfy fantasies of fangirls who refuse to see their idols in relationships (with other girls). I’m calling them out here — it’s an unhealthy system that worships being gay as a joke, but an utter blasphemy when it becomes reality.

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What this means for Holland and Korea?

A quick scroll through the 94k comments on Neverland will reveal a barrage of Holland’s international fans commending his effort and bravery. But what sticks out, is the lack of domestic support — with little to no Korean commenters.

International fans showing Holland support

There aren’t many South Korean mainstream news outlets that covered his debut too. Those who did, such as The Kyunghyang Shinmun, implied in an interview that netizens felt debuting with a song about being gay is “noise marketing”, and an act of clickbait to get attention quick.

Adapted and translated from The Kyunghyang Shinmun

Can Koreans accept an LGBT Kpop idol? (Holland)

Well, Neverland garnered only a lukewarm reaction domestically. The same-gender kiss scene also got the video rated 19+ (not suitable for viewers age 19 and below), which are exactly Holland’s target audience.

Fan riled up at the unfair rating of Neverland (x)

K-beauty influencer Edward Avila talks about the challenges Holland will face as a gay solo idol

Without an agency’s backing (as of now), it’s going to be hard for Holland to publicise himself in South Korea — if he’s planning on making music domestically. On top of that, income for idol (groups) come from sales of albums (hard copies and digital) and commercial endorsements, and given South Korea’s shaky landscape towards homosexuality, it’s going to be an uphill battle for him.

Nevertheless, Neverland is still a progressive step towards normalising LGBT in South Korea, with its authentic representation now on mainstream media. As Holland mentioned, and I fully support: “I want to let [people] know this is not a question of right or wrong. I think there will be more opportunities for social minorities to be publicised when they are exposed to more media.”

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References

Balmain , C., Dr. (2018, February 19). Neverland: Holland’s ground-breaking K-pop debut in context. Retrieved from https://londonkoreanlinks.net/2018/02/19/neverland-hollands-ground-breaking-k-pop-debut-in-context/

Feder, J. L. (2015, July 10). Samsung And Google Censor LGBT Content In International App Stores. Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/korea?utm_term=.rx4OyN5EA#.yd4r7d5WL

Fernandez, D. (2018, January 23). Holland’s debut as the first openly gay K-pop idol and its significance to the LGBT community. Retrieved from http://www.scoutmag.ph/opinion/hollands-debut-first-openly-gay-k-pop-idol-significance-lgbt-community/

Gluck, C. (2000, November 1). Gay actor stuns S Korea. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1001752.stm

How much do KPOP Idols Actually Earn? (2017, March 10). Retrieved from https://aminoapps.com/c/k-pop/page/blog/how-much-do-kpop-idols-actually-earn/DYIP_um583w437LdEL88XRjQjR3b8L

Hu, E. (2017, July 25). For South Korea's LGBT Community, An Uphill Battle For Rights. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/07/25/538464851/for-south-koreas-lgbt-community-an-uphill-battle-for-rights

J. (2011, June 7). The Hypocrisy of Korean Entertainment. Retrieved from https://www.yam-mag.com/features/the-hypocrisy-of-korean-entertainment/

Jin, B., & Kim, J. (2015). Television Drama Viewing and Romantic Beliefs: Considering Parasocial Interaction and Attachment Style. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(10).

Jiyoon, K., Youngshik, B., Lee, J. J., & Chungku, K. (2015, April 17). Over the Rainbow: Public Attitude Toward LGBT in South Korea. Retrieved from http://en.asaninst.org/contents/over-the-rainbow-public-attitude-toward-lgbt-in-south-korea/

MacDonald, J. V. (2016, April 4). K-DRAMAS CONTINUE TO EXPLORE LGBT THEMES WITH COY DEVICES . Retrieved from http://kultscene.com/k-dramas-continue-to-explore-lgbt-themes-with-coy-devices/

Manzella , S. (2018, February 5). How Gay-Friendly Is South Korea? Retrieved from http://www.newnownext.com/lgbt-in-south-korea/02/2018/

Onishi, N. (2003, October 1). Korean Actor's Reality Drama: Coming Out as Gay. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/01/world/korean-actor-s-reality-drama-coming-out-as-gay.html