TV Review Gay characters spice up dramas

Actor Kim Won-hae from JTBC romantic comedy "Strong Woman Do Bong-soon" /Courtesy of JTBC

By Park Jin-hai

Wearing dark eyeliner, thick makeup, flashy nail colors and a silky blouse, Oh Dong-pyung, played by veteran actor Kim Won-hae, hisses at female lead Do Bong-soon, played by Park Bo-young in JTBC’s popular romantic comedy “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon.”

Oh is the gay product development team leader, the self-proclaimed “crazy bitch of the office” in the drama. He has a crush on his game company chief Ahn Min-hyuk, played by Park Hyung-sik. Although Oh is not the lead character, his unforgettable presence steals the spotlight.

Sexual minority characters have been featured many times in cinematic movies. But TV dramas, which had been cautious about the same-sex love topic, have started to feature such characters.

It is not limited to modern dramas. In the on-going period drama “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors,” Hong Suk-chun, one of the most well-known gay celebrities, plays the character Lee Mong-ryong, a Joseon-era artist who seeks love from the male lead Lee Gyum, played by Song Seung-heon.

Although the sexual minority characters in dramas are not free from criticism for portraying them as laughing stock and fanning prejudice, many welcome the move as their frequent appearances, as in important roles on the big screen, is a big improvement.

Actor Hong, the first Korean celebrity who came out of the closet, said “homosexuals are just one of many drama characters. No longer do TV viewers see gays in ways as if they have never seen them before,” to a local daily. “Some gays are cool and others are funny. There are diverse types of gays. Showing such diversity within the group is encouraging as actively dealing with homosexuality in popular culture calls for people’s attention to the sexual minority.”

As for more lenience on the part of media toward gay people, industry insiders say viewers have grown more accepting and open-minded.

“As viewers are ready to accept more diverse characters and are open-minded, more dramas tend to portray sexual minorities,” said a production member of the drama “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon.”

Regarding the criticism that the drama depicts the gay characters only humorously in an effort to spruce up the romantic comedy, he says this is not true. “The Oh character has been one of the outcomes, while we strive to show diverse human relationships in the drama including bromances.”

A “Saimdang” official says homosexuality has a long history, which has been present at all times in any era. “Sexual minorities have existed all along. The difference is that if dramas were reluctant to depict them in the past, nowadays, reflecting the changing perceptions of people, even epic dramas can hire those characters to make the plot more interesting and fun,” said the official.