Is rem really gay? I know some people on the thread don’t agree with homosexuality but if he is gay I feel sorry for him. Many Koreans are still very homophobic so he will receive a lot of hate, it’s not like he can choose his sexuality. Ugh bigshit doesn’t really support lgbt otherwise they’d let their gay artists come out.
The SK society, in general, still "doesn't support" homosexuality and there are govt policies that reflect this...strictly speaking...
BUT actually, the current generation is more open to it than is formally reported...i.e., there appears a casual acceptance of homosexual behaviors and "relationships..."
They also have a brand of "male femininity" (used to be termed as "metrosexuality") which is even "encouraged..." A good example of this is the wearing of makeup by men...There's a growing cosmetic business esp catered to male clients...
In some countries, just wearing makeup alone by men is already considered as "gay" and "unacceptable..."
There's also the culturally acceptable "skinship" relationship between and among males, which to other countries, is also an "unacceptable" male behavior...
The older generations which upheld strict Confucian values, were highly patriarchal that "required" the men to be the "defenders" of the nation, in general and families, in particular... So the men had to look strong, brusque, muscular, without makeup...without "feminine" traits...instead, must be very masculine...
But so much have changed since the advent of K'entertainment in the '80s esp during the so-called Hallyu or Korean Wave, which necessitated men to appear "very handsome" to the point of "feminization" particularly, the wearing of makeup, and/or having plastic surgeries...
If you walk around the streets of Seoul, for instance, you can observe a more "liberal" and open society, gender wise... not to mention the gay clubs/strips in Itaewon... where many gay foreigners frequently hang out with their Korean "counterparts..."
I believe, R.em (if ever it's true that he's gay), won't be "hated" for being so...not only because Betees is "beloved" by the general Korean populace, but because of the "growing acceptance" of different sexual orientations in the current generation of Koreans...