Outcast
By John Larkin and Kim Jung Min
Far East Economic Review
Issue cover-dated November 2, 2000

In a conservative society, actor Hong Seok Chon has broken taboos by declaring he's gay.

COMIC ACTOR Hong Seok Chon has a new role: He is South Korea's first openly gay celebrity. So far the reaction in this sexually conservative country has, to put it mildly, taken Hong by surprise.

Since the 29-year-old declared his homosexuality in mid-September, some segments of Korean society have weighed in behind him. But others, notably his employers, have not. Hong was sacked as host of a popular children's show on the Munhwa Broadcasting Co. Then the Korean Broadcasting Service cut his role on the radio drama Nobody Can Handle My Family. Both networks stand by their decision. KBS even says it told Hong he would be axed if he came out. "We were afraid of losing our audience," says producer Yi Young Ro.

The actor hasn't been entirely blacklisted, but he's fretting over the damage he may have done to his career in this sexually buttoned-down society. He's also angry at what he sees as the hypocrisy of the networks. He was well known for his campy roles, including one as a fashion designer in a sitcom. Says Hong: "I was very upset they fired me so quickly. I'm sure they already knew I was gay."

Hong had wanted to come out for some time, but couldn't decide how to do so. Then a reporter from a women's magazine ambushed him about "those" rumours. Exasperated by years of hiding his sexuality, Hong blurted out the truth. Promises by the magazine to hold the story turned to dust, and the soft-spoken innkeeper's son was soon at the centre of a furious public debate. He had to tell his parents before the news broke. "They were really shocked and asked whether I could change into a straight person," he says. "I spent that entire night crying."

Hong's stand has made him a figurehead for Korea's still largely closeted gay and lesbian community, which badly needs a hero. Korea is ultraconservative on matters of the flesh, and homosexuality is taboo. Society places heavy emphasis on a son's duty to marry to perpetuate the family name. Homosexuality is viewed as immoral by many, as a disease by some. It is not outlawed, but homosexuals are not encouraged to stand out from the crowd. "Gays are not allowed any sort of life as a social being," says activist Seo Dong Jin.

Seo would know. He was nearly kicked out of the elite Yonsei University a few years ago for organizing a support group for gay and lesbian students. In 1997 he tried to convene a gay film festival, but local authorities cut off the electricity. The Queer Film and Video Festival only got the green light in 1998 after censors relaxed their conditions. Seo has also set up a Web site in support of Hong and launched a nationwide petition drive to protest against the actor's dismissal.

Seo says Hong is a rallying point. But there's an even more powerful medium allowing the gay community to crystallize through self-expression--the Internet. Gay Web sites and chatrooms have blossomed, giving gays the chance to share their sexual identity with others. Also, the Internet allows them to remain anonymous, an important consideration given that most Korean gays fear the social opprobrium of public exposure.

Seo says there are thousands of gay sites, which have created numerous virtual gay communities. "The Internet explosion has really helped gays to come out but not suffer from it," he says. Chatrooms brim with support for Hong, but have also provided a platform for his detractors. One of them fumed recently: "I just hate gays. I'll never understand them."

It's a struggle, but gays are slowly finding their voice. Many newspaper editorials have supported Hong. There's a gay lifestyle magazine, albeit without bylines. Seo says this year's film festival was attended mainly by gays, who had stayed away the previous two years fearing exposure. The government has drafted human-rights laws to finally give gays the same protection from discrimination enjoyed by women and the disabled. But it hasn't gone to the parliament yet, and activists say they'll trust the law when they see it.

For Hong, the task now is to get used to his new role as a gay icon. "I'd do the same thing if I had to do it over," he says. "This is who I am."