Korean Job Discussion Forums

[freethought]

So the TV show "Glee" has been rapidly translated into Korean because it has one girl who was born in Korea and then 'given away' to America. The girl, from what I can tell, knows nothing about Korea. But because she is a background character on a TV show, it creates such national pride that the show needs to be rushed translated into Korean.

http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/?ak=4599

Then there's people like Daniel Choi. Someone who is honorable and has really accomplished something. A true leader, taking risks and standing up for rights. Despite being 'Korean' he has been completely ignored here (or at least I haven't seen anything about him).

They will celebrate Big Bang who has at least one flaming gay member and I have no idea what to make of 'g-dragon'. They celebrate a nothing performer on a show about musicals (and seriously, what's more gay then musicals???), but when an actual gay person graduates from West Point and accomplishes a great deal and is involved in a major political fight and will play a major role in an important policy shift (one Korea is current dealing with itself), there are no stories.

[fermentation]

Didn't you get the memo? There are no gays in Korea.

On a serious note, gays aren't hated nor liked here, just ignored for the most part. There are rare occasions when the media focuses on gays or gay issues. There was one openly gay TV personality several years back. I also remember seeing a sitcom type show that had a gay couple in one episode and one of the guys develops a crush on a girl. Even though I thought it was impressive that a gay couple was the center of the story, the show seemed to idealize heterosexuality since it was about a gay dude trying to stay true to himself and turn straight. Weird since its usually the other way around.

I sometimes wonder how many closet gays are in this country. With the all thigh grabbing, chest/ass groping, man purse wearing that goes around I can't help but suspect many Korean guys I see. My friend has a Korean friend who seems way too comfortable with touching/hugging other guys including me, and I'm not sure if he's gay or if he's uncomfortable with women so he compensates by touching guys. I might straight up ask him but being Korean, the dude might get highly offended even if he is gay.

[sjk1128]

I've never been able to figure out how Koreans pick and choose who to be proud of....

It's the same with Margaret Cho, arguably the most famous Korean-American for a couple of decades. She's still my favorite comedian of all time, and I live in the country of her ethnic origin. Yet, oddly, even though she's "really" Korean-American, born in America to Korean-born parents who immigrated, no one here has ever heard of her. It's sad, really. She could be a great role model for young Korean women who struggle with body image or young gays who would like to hear someone with an Asian face speak to their issues. Although she was never that popular in mainstream American culture and has maintained her fame after the 90s mostly as a gay and Asian-American icon, you'd think Korea would embrace her simply based on her extraordinary success. Nope!

Nobody knows about him either:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26661250@N07/2544602020/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26661250@N07/2543775025/in/photostream/
My theory is that it's because he's the perfect argument for not keeping "Korean blood" so "pure."

Move over Daniel Henney! It's true, you're fine, but next to Will, you're just another girly man, one natural resource of which Korea is not in short supply....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8626853@N02/525475217/

[redaxe]

[ieatsmurfs6]

Glee is a good show and deals with homophobia in a very mature way. Hopefully some of that maturity and acknowledgment will have an affect on Koreans who watch it.

I don't know what it will do to convince them that there are in fact, gay Koreans. I see them everyday. For a straight guy, my gaydar is freaking excellent and works on asians too.

[benji1422]

Everyone who thinks G-drag is a "fayyyyg" or Big Bang/Super Junior is gay or Amber from f(x) is butch doesn't understand the mind of the consumers, mainly teenage girls and women.

Women love androgyny. It gets them excited (not sexually) because they are experts at creating gender roles. That's why all these j-pop and k-pop have gay-looking guys and (more recently) butchy girl members. Nobody thinks so-and-so is sucking c---, oh that's so interesting (or gross), I love/hate him. They are more into the gender role and performance aspect of it.

Also you should know Koreans hated Margaret Cho passionately until recently (both K-Americans and Koreans) because she is like the opposite of everything their society/culture told them they should be as women (respectful, demure, pretty and thin) and furthermore she is the first Korean to ever become famous in America, so she's a little bit of embarrassment -- in a nutshell, even though is uber-talented, to Koreans she is the Isaac Durst of America... on the same level of Reverend Moon.

Older Koreans are not so concerned about who sucks what behind closed doors, rather, what's important is that you get married and have a grandson, so if you wanna hang out with guys in the steamroom that's okay. That was Hong suk-chon's mistake (that's the guy who's openly gay who was fired) -- I've met him a few times and he's flamboyant and obviously gay even though I don't speak Korean that well. His sin was not his choice of how he gets his rocks off... but saying that he has a "boyfriend" -- in other words, rejecting marriage/procreation.

[thurst]

lol @ the notion of margaret cho being a "great role model" for anybody.

[nosmallplans]

[brandonlk]

Has anyone noticed any gay American teachers be discriminated against at their school or eve fired? I assume that most gay Americans that come to Korea stay very closeted.

[Ukon]

[eamo]

Most Koreans seem to have no idea of how they are seen by the rest of the world.

When I tell Koreans which two Koreans are probably best known by westerners, Kim Jeong-il and Rev. Moon, they are always amazed.

They think the most well known Koreans must be Rain and Park ji sung!!

[brandonlk]

[Yaya]

[Teddycakes21]

Hmm... they are homophobic? Interesting. I've seen some of the gayest behavior ever in this country.

=D

[Xuanzang]