On April 22 in Los Angeles, JUST B held their world tour concert 'JUST ODD,' where Bain came out and revealed his sexual identity to fans. Bain declared, “I’m proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community.”
Bain, real name Song Byung Hee, is currently 25 years old. He is from Daejeon, graduated from Daejeon Gapcheon Middle School, and obtained his high school diploma through a qualification exam.
It’s rare for Korean celebrities to openly come out about their sexual identity.
The first to do so publicly was actor Hong Suk Chun in 2000. Hong Suk Chun appeared on Channel A’s 'Table for 4' and looked back on that time.
He said, “At the time, coming out was a huge shock. I had an intense love in my 20s, but we broke up because I hadn’t come out. It made me think about what was truly important to me. I wondered, how could I love someone and be happy if I kept hiding this? I realized I needed to come out if I wanted to be confident in future relationships.”
He continued, “Around then, I appeared on a variety show, and since it was lighthearted, they casually asked me, ‘You give off a feminine image—do you like men more than women?’ I saw that as my opportunity and said, ‘Yes, I’m someone who likes men.’”
He recalled, “The atmosphere immediately became tense, and I told the producers, ‘I’m fully prepared, so it’s okay to air it.’ But after their meeting, they decided it couldn’t be broadcast. So I eventually came out publicly through a print interview in 2000. I told my mom, ‘I’m gay, and a coming out article is going to be published,’ but she couldn’t understand. While I was trying to explain it over the phone, my dad found out and came up to Seoul. At that time, prejudice against sexual minorities was severe, so they desperately tried to block the article."
He added, “Even now, 23 years later, my parents don’t fully understand me. But my parents pray for my success and support the work I do. I opened a restaurant in Itaewon because even two years after coming out, things weren’t going well for me. So in 2002, I opened my first place there.”
More recently, actress Youn Yuh Jung made a surprising revelation in an interview with a foreign media outlet, saying, “My eldest son is gay,” and added, “He met a partner in New York and got married.”
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