Trot singer Kwon Do Woon comes out as gay, wanted to speak out for human rights of sexual minorities

In light of his 10th anniversary, trot singer Kwon Do Hwan came out as gay and talked to OSEN about his decision saying he wanted to speak out for the human rights of sexual minorities despite the risk.

Kwon Do-woon told OSEN, “I received inspiration from chef Hong Seok Cheon. Although I do not know him personally, I had the chance to meet him several times and he gave me courage.” He continued, “When we met for an unofficial occasion, I was able to see a very happy side of Hong Seok Cheon. I thought it would be best for me to come out when I had nothing to lose, so I did it. It would be very hard for me if there was a lot that I could lose.” However, people close to Kwon tried to dissuade him. He worried that his friends, family members, and acquaintances would think of him in a negative light. But Kwon Do Woon revealed, “I think of this as something I have to go through in life. And even though I already began to get accustomed to the entertainment industry, it’s better to face difficulties first, as some people say. So I thought it would be appropriate to do it now.” Kwon Do-woon then shared, “I wanted to speak out for the human rights of sexual minorities and play a role in opening the horizon for people in the entertainment industry to come out. Going forward, I want to become someone who can speak out for the voices of sexual minorities.”

Speaking of Hong Seok Cheon, it’s also reported that he’s the first active celebrity to come out since him, though I’m not sure what the fame standard is there since at least both MRSHLL and Holland have come out as well.

Either way, doing this in Korea is a much bigger deal than it is in the West, so hopefully things go well for him from here on out.