Gay K-pop stars defying taboos in South Korea by coming out

Bain was halfway through his band's Los Angeles show on a chilly April night when the music stopped.

Wearing an oversized fur coat and sunglasses, the 24-year-old K-pop star told thousands of fans: "Before I start the next song, I want to share something with you."

After a brief pause, he blurted out: "I'm [ expletive ] proud to be part of the LGBTQ community!"

The audience erupted in cheers and applause as Bain began to sing Lady Gaga's gay anthem: "Just put your paws up, 'cause you were born this way, baby."

At the time, when he declared his sexuality to the world, he wasn't nervous, he told the BBC during an interview at his studio in Seoul — instead, he was trying to "look cool."

A few gay K-pop artists have come out in recent years — but none as publicly as Bain.

Even in 2025, this is a bold move in South Korea's entertainment industry, where stars are held to impossible standards. Even admitting to a heterosexual relationship is a scandal.

"There were some people in the industry who knew [that I was thinking about going public] and warned me, saying it would be a risk," Bain says. "And of course I thought about the risk — that we might lose fans."

"But then I thought: society is changing... maybe I gain more than I lose."

That's the big question: Has he opened the door to change in an industry that has gone global but remains deeply rooted in conservative South Korea?

'I thought I could just pretend'

Bain, whose real name is Song Byeonghee, says he was in middle school, around 12 years old, when he realized he was gay.

Shortly after, he decided to join a K-pop idol training program, but kept his sexual orientation a secret — he felt that being gay was "not allowed."

"It wasn't something I questioned... I just felt like I didn't have a choice," he says. "There was no one else [around me who was gay]. I felt like I could just pretend and get by."

Rich, modern South Korea is still traditional in many ways. Powerful but conservative churches often view homosexuality as a disability or sin. And same-sex marriage is not legally recognized.

In 2021, Bain made his debut as part of a six-member boy band called Just B. They have released several albums and appeared on reality shows, gaining a loyal following.

But having to hide a part of himself all this time took its toll on Bain.

"I was so suffocated that I thought maybe I couldn't be an idol [a term used to describe a star of the genre]. I felt like I was hiding too much. I decided to talk to my mother."

That was about three years ago. His mother was the first person in the family to know: "We talked for an hour, and I finally said, 'I like men more than women. ' That's when she knew."

Her reaction was hard for him. "Honestly, she didn't like it — not at first. She said she thought I could get over it, that maybe one day I would like women. She was sad... thinking that now I would face negative reactions from others. But [she] said, 'You're my son, so I love you, I support you, I love you. ' It was a mix of feelings. I was sad, but in the end, I was grateful that she said she loved me."

Then, band members and company members began encouraging him to take on the challenge — and tell the world.

Earlier this year, the band embarked on a world tour, and on the final stop of the tour in the US, Bain decided to come out on stage.

Since then, the band has been thrust into the spotlight — with Bain giving numerous interviews and quickly becoming the new face of the Korean LGBTQ community.

"I feel like I've changed a lot since I came out as gay. I feel more confident. When I meet someone new, I show who I am straight away," he says.

"But I also feel sad that my identity is such a big issue now."

Over time, he hopes people will no longer say, "Oh, he's gay, but, oh, that's who he is."

Taboos in K-pop

When South Korean actor Hong Seok-Cheon came out as gay in 2000, LGBTQ representation truly reached the mainstream in the country.

He was the first Korean celebrity to open up about his sexuality — and it came at a price. He was dropped from TV shows and advertisements.

Society's stance on the issue has certainly changed since then. A 2019 Pew survey showed that the number of people accepting homosexuality rose from 25% to 44% in 2002.

Still, only a few other celebrities have come out of the closet.

In 2018, Holland became the country's first openly gay K-pop artist, and in 2020, Jiae, a former member of the girl band Wassup, came out as bisexual.

Both said that as a result, they had difficulty getting signed to a record label.

Bain's announcement, however, was celebrated by both fans and South Korea's LGBTQ community.

"When someone like an idol comes out, it gives people like me a sense that we are not alone," says a 26-year-old Korean transgender woman who did not want to be identified.

"It brings comfort...it makes me think that maybe it's okay to be the way I am."

Most of the online feedback has also been positive. One gay fan wrote in a YouTube comment how encouraged he was by Bain after feeling "so much despair" in the face of "hate speech" and discrimination.

"But thanks to Bain, I found the courage to move forward."

International fans also celebrated his attitude: "After the initial shock, I started crying," says Lia, a K-pop fan from the US who identifies as lesbian.

"Knowing that Korea still has some repression against LGBTQ people, the bravery and courage he showed in coming out... [was] admirable."

South Korea’s cultural presence has been growing globally, and this has attracted fans from all over the world, with their own perspectives and beliefs. They could very well reshape the K-pop industry.

But that will take time. And that’s evident in the range of comments in response to Bain’s announcement — from disapproval to apathy.

On the one hand, the country has seen a rise in right-wing anti-feminist beliefs, often outspoken among young men, who appear to oppose any challenge to traditional gender roles.

And these roles remain strong in South Korea. The government and church uphold conventional family values, encouraging young people to marry and have children so they can boost birth rates, currently the lowest in the world.

Given all this, it's perhaps no surprise that homosexuality is still taboo, even in a global industry like K-pop.

This is a world where even heterosexual couples don't talk about their private lives, says critic Lim Hee-yun.

"K-pop has spent nearly 25 years avoiding the topic of sexuality [completely]. Even heterosexual relationships are hidden to protect fans' fantasies."

According to him, Bain "challenged that silence in a symbolic and powerful way. I think this marks an important moment."

But he believes fans might have reacted very differently — "it could have been huge" — if a member of a global boy band had come out as gay.

"Bain's case was significant, but his band is not that famous, so it didn't cause as much of a stir in the country," Lim said.

He agrees, however, that Bain has certainly helped raise awareness. "It's a slow process, but we are seeing more public figures speaking out or content being created around LGBTQ issues."

But any immediate change in K-pop or the entertainment industry is unlikely, according to him.

"It's not just a social issue, it's a market issue. Male idols generally have a much larger female fan base... [and] if you find out that your favorite male idol is gay, it can shatter the illusion that you could one day be the object of his affection," explains Min Yong-Jun, a pop culture columnist.

"So if they [come out], they risk shaking the foundation on which their fan base was built."

Bain says, however, that his decision would be worth it if even "one person in K-pop gained strength" from it.

"I spent so much time pretending... I realized that because I came out, other people felt safe to do so too."

On the day he came out as gay, he remembers that several fans approached him, saying they were gay or lesbian, talking about his own identity.

"They thanked me, and I thought to myself, 'I should have done this sooner.'"