http://www.snujn.com/news/56633

I wrote an opinion piece for the Seoul National University Journal, an independent magazine of my alma mater. This article problematizes a growing tendency of Korean queer cultural critique, both in and out of academia, that declares queerness of their favorite K-pop idol, their performance, or fan culture. This medal is conferred upon them based on an observation of ‘queerness,’ often praising their political potential. Although I emotionally understand the joy of finding queerness in one’s favorite star, I find that a majority of such arguments idealize queerness. More often than not, these critiques lack thorough analysis of the context of such queerness, let alone specifying the audience (for whom is it queer?) and its further impact (so being queer is always resistant?). I contend that queerness should be a starting point of a discourse, not a conclusion.