Will we ever see a main gay couple in Korean dramas?

[Admin]

How would you feel about seeing the main couple in Korean dramas that were gay or lesbian? I think there were sub couples that were gay or lesbian before in K-dramas, but there never was a main couple.    

[tobywells]

I am into it. It is sad and annoying to see only heterosexuals there, like let's show variety

[fijifina]

There probably will be at some point in the future. I wouldn't think it would be too far away.

[Mio-]

Haven't you seen 'Life is Beautiful'? Gay couple was main in that drama. Really good drama!

 

I think Korea still has a long way to go, when it comes to gay (or lesbian) dramas and them being more open and 'comfortable' with it.... it's not something to expect, anytime soon. My opinion. 

I am talking about regular 16 episodes drama on one of the big networks (SBS, MBC, KBS...) or even cable channels. It's nice to see that they slowly do release a good movie without some terrible ending or a short web-drama. It is a start. We should hope (and wait) things change and they get more open, but it'll take years! Especially from country who doesn't accept LGBT community/couples and does not look at them 'lovingly'. From things I've read about this topic in Korea. 

[roybigley]

I need more gay couples in kdramas for sure

[vaberella]

Unlikely in Korea and probably not for another 5 yrs, maybe. Out of all the East Asian countries Korea is the most backwards and homophobic. People can say whatever they want about China and even the new laws in regards to China and the laws to gay rights in film/dramas. China is actually one of the most advance and progressive in regards to gay films and dramas and I thank them for it.  

 

Despite lack of laws (except in Taiwan for homosexuality) it doesn't stop the dramas/films.

By culture the most growth:

1. Thailand - It helps that Thailand was never colonized. It's the countries that have never been colonized by missionaries that were the most advanced (who don't have the large number of Christians). African early peoples (and tribal nations today) follow homosexual practices and those that are living in modern societies find homosexual practices (due to Chrisitan influence) sinful. Thailand has 5 genders. In any event they are the most open. However, it's ONLY been in the last 8 years or so that they've had BL stories on television, I should know since I used to sub for them. I mentally remember the first drama I saw it in, I have to find the name. I'll find it and post the implied pairing--all they did was bump chests. 

 

2. Japan - Their work used to be relegated to simply mangas. Hah, now it's all over movies and dramas. I would have given them the no.1 spot. But they don't have the breadth of work and aren't making them at the speed of work that Thailand is. Thailand has them in every drama and have independent dramas for them, not to mention films is in the same way. They even have it for crossdressers and trangenders (men-to-women and women-to-men). Japan is coming into that currently. 

 

3. Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) - The first East Asian country to allow gay marriage. They  have ChocoTV. They have the movies in succession. I've said, the movies or shows that have part twos that China had that they didn't complete (Heroine or A Round to Love) maybe Taiwan could pick up and remake because of the new ruling. They even have a huge gay parade. 

 

4. China - They gave us Heroin (Addicted), A Round Trip to Love, Advance Bravely, etc. Yeah, I love Chinese films. I peronally don't need explicit scenes to know what's going on. Most people want explicit kiss scenes and beyond. I'm cool without it. Heroin was supposed to worse than it was. A Round Trip to Love was definitely explicit. Advance Bravely is actually like the book w/o the kissing & naked.

Spoiler

Thailand has a drama, Together With Me and when the two guys got together---it was clearly rape. People loved it, I hated it. 

But I mean--even in our dramas--do we EVER see the hetero couples naked?! EVER?! Nope. We see them kiss, but is it really make out sessions, really?! Sometimes, sometimes nope (most of the time, it's a no). So I'm like China is super progressive to allow so many dramas and movies, even if they don't really allow straight kissing in the dramas only. I can take eye-f***ing. In the movies, it's a free-for-all. At which point---anything and everything happens. 

 

5. China (Hong Kong) - I really want to say Hong Kong was the first.  Actually, they were before Thailand with the film Happy Together in 1997. Since I live and die for Wong Kar Wai. There were a lot of gay films coming out of Hong Kong. 

 

6. Philippines - I don't know what happened that caused this to happen in Pinoy dramas, films sure, but not dramas.

 

Honourable mention, Vietnam - they won an award for a short film they had and they have transgender models on international runways. I saw a drama out of Vietnam--or two and I was impressed by the quality and story. Brilliant work. Vietnam is one to keep an eye out for as far as dramas, but also I think for laws. I sense they might be the second country get things changed. 

 

***Kdramas should have gay couples. They've implied them enough like Reply 199-something. Never liked it, so wasn't into it. But I know there was a gay guy. The bromances are strong and I tend to ship all the bromances; so they know how to writee those. All they have to do with a bromance is to take one step to a kiss and they have a romantic pairing. They just don't do it. Hence the reason I think they need about 5 more years to get there. 2-3 is not enough for them to include dramas. They don't have enough of a fujoshi audience and there are too many ajummas that own the drama ratings.  

[travestyalert]

Most likely no, it would sparked controversy

[Kim Yunmi]

Painter in the Wind had a lesbian couple--kinda... more like a trans main character (transmale) played by a female actress. The director purposefully gave both actresses directions to act as if they were in love with each other, the script was limited by censors though. In Sex is Zero a trans main character was also represented.

There are movies, but not dramas with gay characters (Two Wedding and a Funeral was really good). The problem is the censors in Korea. JTBC was threatened with a fine for having two girls kissing.

And BTW, while Japan has trans and gay representation, a lot of it is pretty problematic and doesn't reflect actual culture. Many Gei Komi aren't imported to the US, favoring straight writers fantasizing about pseudo hetero relationships (Because being gay is "easier" type of fantasy, which has a lot of issues attached.) rather than true representation. Japan still has a ways to also go. I support gay relationships as mains in dramas, but not the fetishization of them, especially since gay people in Japan have complained about such representation, I'm going to have to side with the marginalized group here.

Trans representation is slightly ahead in Korea than in the US.(Though neither are particularly stellar).

And there are countries in Asia more conservative than Korea, because Asia is huge. East Asia? North Korea has to be worse than South Korea on representing gay people. Macau has legislation against gay people for East Asia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_Macau Meaning that South Korea doesn't top the list. Check your assertions before making them.

Anyway, my bets are on probably JTBC being the first to air a gay couple together given the track record of the network. I still want the story of Bong Subin and So-ssang as a singular drama, rather than laid into a larger one. "Tae-sik" was slang for court maids that took meals together in a relationship and was accepted--just not with court ladies.

[jokerspace]

I think no. not today, maybe in the future

[lucy-smith]

Theres a lot of like web dramas of gay korean couples but no actual korean gay dramas are out there and are being publicly shown on tv's in korea

[Friendly kitty]

Not! And do not. In Korean dramas, I have enough friendship between guys. It is shown there so warm, tender and beautiful, that you shouldn’t want more.

Although doramas, where the friendship of guys comes first, I want to see a lot! More than now show.

[tashapak]

It sure would be interesting, I guess  And not even gays but lesbians. Recently I tried this test https://psycho-tests.com/test/kinsey-scale-gay-test to check my sexuality and it said I'm 20% lesbian  Don't know how to feel about this!

[Kawaii DesuNe]

I don't think so. It's interesting because they do it alot in Manwha... (Korean comics)

[tashapak]

On 4/21/2019 at 12:33 AM, Kawaii DesuNe said:

I don't think so. It's interesting because they do it alot in Manwha... (Korean comics)

What's the difference from yaoi in Japanese manga? Can you provide some examples?

[NoDramasHere]

On 7/4/2018 at 7:32 PM, travestyalert said:

Most likely no, it would sparked controversy

I would like to see it...

[s8tn]

I mean there really does have to be more diversity, and I hope that there is going to be some homosexual couples as main characters. Not for just entertainment purposes but to help a lot of people and maybe make it normalized.     

[monbebe_fluffy]

Korea is still more conservative than a lot of other countries such as the United States, or a lot of other western or even eastern countries. Though K-pop idols and actors seemingly and openly support their LGBTQ+ fans (sorry if I got that wrong), most of the country still supports the typical 1 man and 1 woman marriage. Also, they would get a huge kickback by a lot of their fans. They probably assume that other Chinese and other countries' dramas to satisfy that need. Unless South Korea continues in an extreme way to become more and more open and "modern" they will not have a main gay or lesbian couple.

[Omojjang]

Not really sure but when they do, hopefully the actors will feel comfortable

[kinein]

Not interested in trying to make another culture more "progressive" or western.

 

I'm against trying to change other countries for whatever the fad is for the west.

 

"Progressive" doesn't actually mean progress.

 

Live and let live.

 

[albrechtmyers]

the trend is positive. do not worry.