While many K-pop artists have shown support for sexual minorities, it’s still rare to hear someone from the industry publicly come out and identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. However, when such a thing does happen, it immediately piques the interest of many K-pop fans.
Recently, K-pop fans have discovered that former idol Park Cho Hyeon (박초현) has identified as a lesbian and even started a YouTube account with her partner Kim Eun Ha (김은하). Cho Hyeon was a member of the now-disbanded group SEEART (씨앗), also known as OAHSIS (오아시스). She had also participated in the survival programme, MIXNINE (믹스나인), in 2017 but was eliminated in the early stages.
Through their YouTube channel, the pair showcased their daily life as a lesbian couple in South Korea. In one of the videos, the couple shared more about their relationship, revealing that they met on a dating app after Cho Hyeon left the entertainment industry. In the same video, the two also shared that Cho Hyeon has had prior dating experience, hinting that she had known her sexual orientation before publicly coming out.
After discovering the couple’s YouTube channel, many K-pop fans have extended their well wishes for the two and their relationship. They also voiced their support for the two and hope that more netizens and fans will do the same. However, some netizens have shown concerns for the former idol, given that South Korea is still heavily conservative and there have been many cases of discrimination towards those in the LGBTQ+ community. Some also questioned the content of the channel as they pointed out that some of the videos seemed to sexualise lesbian relationships.
What do you think about the netizen’s reaction to the former idol’s coming out and YouTube channel?
Watch one of their videos below:
