South Korean singer Kwon Do-woon is publicly opening up about his sexuality and coming out as gay.
According to a report from AllKPop, in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of his official debut, the singer (know mostly for singing "trot" music, a genre popular in South Korea) released an official statement via his label, Trust Entertainment, where he confirmed his sexuality and that he is a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
"I wanted to speak up as a representative voice of sexual minorities and wanted to open up the prospect of coming out more widely in the entertainment industry," Kwon Do-woon wrote in his statement.
He continued:
"I hope to continue representing the LGBTQ community in my role."
Speaking on the reasonings behind publicly coming out now, Kwon Do-woon says he was inspired by fellow celeb and Korean actor Hong Seok Cheon, who came out as gay in 2000 and was met with a considerable amount of controversy at the time.
"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," Kwon Do-woon said in an interview with OSEN, as reported by South Korean entertainment website ZAPZEE. "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."
Although there's still not a lot of visibility and representation when it comes to out LGBTQ+ people in Korean entertainment, publicly coming out is something Kwon Do-woon feels like he needed "to go through in life."
"Even though I already began to get accustomed to the entertainment industry, it’s better to face difficulties first, as some people say," he said. "So I thought it would be appropriate to do it now.”
Kwon Do-woon first gained fame in 2009 after winning big on the National College Student Trot Contest program, AllKPop also reports.
Congrats on living your truth, Kwon Do-woon, and welcome to the family!
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