Coming Out or Not

Chingusai provides the following advice on coming out in South Korea:
Moreover, because family cohesion and honor are extremely important values in Korea, not a few LGBT people have been rejected and cast out by their families after coming out to them ?honesty, unfortunately but apparently, is not always the best policy. Consequently, LGBT activists as well as members of the queer community generally agree that coming out should be done after the achievement of economic and social independence, especially since parents‟ financial support and guidance continue well after children‟s college years in Korea.
… All LGBT friends who visit or live in Korea should be sensibly cautious in coming out within relationships, networks, or organizations that are public, official, professional, or related to their livelihood because you may still face covert discrimination despite the lack of legal grounds. At the same time, however, there thankfully is no publicly known case to date of any foreign national being dismissed from work for his or her sexual orientation („Gay Life in Korea‟ (undated), Chingusai website http://chingusai.net/e_page/e_life_in_korea.html – Accessed 19 November 2008 – Attachment 16).
An article posted on Fridae on 17 October 2008 reports on the suicide of actor Kim Ji-hoo. On 21 April 2008 Kim appeared on the TV program, “Coming Out”. After the episode aired, “Kim‟s Web page was inundated with attacks on his sexual orientation. In addition, his modeling and television appearances were cancelled and his management company refused to renew his contract.” The article notes that “[e]ven after his death, hateful comments were posted on Kim Ji-hoo‟s personal Web page.” An article dated 8 October 2008 in The Korea Times reports that Kim‟s mother said “[h]e underwent many professional and personal difficulties following his coming out”. Kim‟s aide, also homosexual, said “[l]ike me, he suffered from numerous discriminations against him.” The article reports that “[p]olice said his suicide reflects public prejudice toward gay people and their difficulty in succeeding in the entertainment industry” (Si-soo, Park 2008, „Gay Actor Found Dead in Apparent
Suicide‟, The Korea Times, 8 October, Global Gayz website http://www.globalgayz.com/korea-news08-01.html – Accessed 19 November 2008 – Attachment 21; and Kelley, Matt & Lee, Mike 2008, „The deadly reality of South Korea‟s virtual world‟, Fridae website, 17 October http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=2320&viewarticle=1 – Accessed 19 November 2008 – Attachment 22).
An article dated 18 June 2008 in The Korea Herald reports that “[i]n the past, gay and lesbian Koreans who have come out to their families have been disowned and forced into “medical treatment” or unwanted marriages.” When a famous television actor came out in 2000 he lost his job and when he told his mother “she suggested they drink poison together.” Hong, a 25 year old university student who has been openly gay for four and a half years states “I know it‟s very hard to be „out‟ in Korean society but if people are willing to push through, all the way out, I think it‟s absolutely worth it.” Cho Jeong-kwon, a 27 year old university student disagrees, “I think if I say I am gay, I fight the whole Korean society” (Schaneman, Bart 2008, „From both sides of the closet door‟, The Korea Herald, 18 June – Attachment 17).
An article posted on Fridae on 3 June 2008 reports on the first television talk show series in South Korea about homosexuality. The new 12 episode series which debuted on 14 April 2008 and airs at midnight is called “Coming Out” and “includes dramatic profiles of people who have come out to family, friends and coworkers with advice offered by co-hosts Hong Seok-cheon and Jung Kyung-soon.” At a press conference, “Hong told reporters when he first heard about the project, he thought it was “crazy” for Korean to out themselves on national television.” Hong is able to sympathise with young Koreans who remain in the closet after his own painful experience. Hong states, “I don‟t advise people to come out because I know it is a hard decision. But for myself, I have never been happier. I don‟t have to lie to myself any more” (Kelley, Matt 2008, „Seoul‟s spring forecast: More visibility for Korea‟s queers‟, Fridae website, 3 June, Global Gayz website http://www.globalgayz.com/korea-news08-01.html – Accessed 19 November – Attachment 23).
An article dated 31 October 2007 in The Korea Times reports that seven years after Hong Suk-sheon came out, “there are several more people who have declared themselves as gay” including Fashion Consultant Hwang Eui-gun and filmmakers Kim Jo Gwang-su and Lee Song Hee-il. Kim, a member of Chingusai, says that the group holds an annual rainbow festival and other events but rarely invites the media or the public for fear of being outed. He states, “Some people identify us with just a simple snap shot and rumours and all the prejudices mount up”. Lee Jong-heon, a representative of Chingusai “said the number of gays who came out may look as if it has increased, but in reality it is restricted to people who have professional jobs, run their own business or work in the art-related field.” Lee states, “[i]n the real world, gays feel much pressure to conceal their sexual identity”. Lee “said usually the biggest obstacle is immediate family. He said those who managed to find life partners and get their families approval do not like to reveal themselves publicly and live a very discrete life” (Ji-sook, Bae 2007, „Communities Divided on Sexual Politics‟, Korea Times, 31 October http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/07/229_12906.html – Accessed 19 November 2008 – Attachment 19).
An article dated 2 February 2007 in OhmyNews reports that “[s]uicide is also high among gay men, who are ostracized by society and generally shamed and expelled from their families after coming out.” The article notes that while homosexuality is “slowly becoming more accepted in Korean culture…there is a lot of anecdotal evidence on the Internet that would
suggest that suicide among gay men is a significant factor in South Korea‟s suicide rate.” The article continues with a post written by one man on a gay rights website:
I consider myself lucky, though. Between 1997 and 1999, three of my gay friends in South Korea committed suicide. In May 1998, Oh disclosed his homosexuality to his family. They immediately rejected him and expelled him from their home. After living and suffering on the streets for months, and at one point sleeping in an office, Oh killed himself. The other two went to Seoul National University, which is South Korea‟s Harvard or Yale. One was in law school; the other was a graduate student in biology. Their success in society was “guaranteed.” However, when they came to the age of marriage, they both faced a brutal dilemma. Neither wanted to marry. But they also didn‟t want to disown their families and disappoint their parents. So they chose to kill themselves. One in 1997, the other in 1999. No funerals were held for these three young men: their families considered them “bad” sons…” (Campbell, Tania 2007, „Suicide in South Korea Case of Too Little, Too Late‟, OhmyNews, 2 February http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=390145 – Accessed 19 November 2008 – Attachment 24).
A response dated 13 October 2006 by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada reports that “[m]any gay Koreans do not come out of the closet because of the stigma associated with homosexuality (Gay Times n.d.; The New York Times 31 Mar. 2006; see also Yonhap English News 5 June 2006)” (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 2006, KOR101949.E – Republic of Korea: Current Situation of, and protection available to, gay, lesbian and transgendered/transsexual citizens (2002-2006), 13 October http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/rir/index_e.htm?action=record.viewrec&gotorec=450521 – Accessed 18 November 2008 – Attachment 20).