Just for Gay Gags: Representation of Gay Men in 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon'

If you were one of the many people who were getting submerged in the Hallyu Wave, a phrase commonly used to refer to the rising global popularity of Korean media and culture, in 2017 or 2018, chances are you’ve heard of the show ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ or ‘Strong Girl Bong Soon’. It was one of the most popular K-Dramas to come out in 2017 and is considered among fans to be a must-watch. It was one of the first Korean dramas that 15-year-old me watched on one of those shady websites and it gave me the fresh taste of a new kind of media.

‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ is a 2017 Korean drama series starring Park Bo-young and and Park Hyung-Sik as the lead characters. The show follows the adventures of protagonist, Do Bong-soon, a petite and seemingly timid woman who hides her super strength from the world. Together with her boss, Ahn Min-hyuk, she sets out to fight against all sorts of bad guys. For anyone unfamiliar with Korean dramas, the show is a perfect starting point to introduce one to the unique structure of the genre. Overall, the show could be categorised as a run-of-the-mill rom-com with a fantasy twist between two people who might seem like an unlikely match, but it is so much more than that. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a psychopath kidnapper plotline running parallel to your typical rom-com business. Mashing multiple genres into one show is not uncommon in Korean dramas, though some do a better job of executing such a model compared to others. 

But the uncommon structure of the show is not what I’m interested in analysing today. Instead, there’s a fairly minor plot point that always stuck out to me like a sore thumb in a show that’s otherwise not that bad: the manner in which gay men are represented. Spoiler alert, for the first few episodes most characters seem to be under the impression that the male lead, Min-hyuk, is gay. However, it is later revealed that he is not. The show brings in the potential homosexuality of its male lead for comedic purposes only. It adds nothing to the overarching plotline and only serves the purpose of making the viewer uncomfortable. 

Min-hyuk as a character embodies typical gay stereotypes and strengthens people’s assumptions about his sexuality. This allows him, in multiple instances, to get closer to Bong-soon, who while still wary of him, often lets him get away with invading her personal space thinking that he isn’t interested in her. He often expresses physical interest in Bong-soon’s long-time crush, In Guk-doo, and often uses him to manipulate her. One of the instances is when he convinces her that if she stays the night with him it will make Guk-doo jealous. While he doesn’t have any ulterior motives other than wanting to spend time with her, it shows how the foundation of their relationship is built on lies. 

As problematic as this trope is, it sure isn’t uncommon. Another K-Drama titled ‘Personal Taste’ from 2010 starring famous Korean actor, Lee Min-ho, seems to use a similar trope of a straight man pretending to be gay to gain some kind of advantage from a woman. While these shows tend to downplay the discovery of the actual sexual orientation of these men, imagining such a situation playing out in real life is frankly disturbing and quite frightening. A 2008 Bollywood movie, ‘Dostana’ also uses a similar trope where two straight guys pretend to be a gay couple in order to get housing and get closer to a woman that they both find attractive. This film also depicts gay men as if they are caricatures and not real people.

Coming back to ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’, the show depicts harmful stereotypes about the promiscuity of gay men. There are many ridiculous scenes and one that has unfortunately been branded in my mind is when Min-hyuk appears in Bong-soon’s dream; and as if the writers really needed to drive home the fact that he is into men, he appears in women’s clothing and a wig, feeling up Guk-doo in a pretty creepy manner. Any depiction of same-sex attraction or same-sex love seems to focus solely on physical aspects. This projects same-sex relationships as being devoid of any emotional connection and ties into misguided beliefs of gay men being frivolous. The show, in one strike, also reduces gay relationships to a mere comedic device. If shows do not outrightly villanise LGBTQ+ characters, then the next step is to not take them seriously at all, making them one-dimensional. These instances reflect the views of the show’s writers, which unfortunately don’t come across as much of a surprise considering South Korea’s regressive laws with regards to the LGBTQ+ community. While same-sex activity is legal, same-sex relationships are not legally permitted. There are no anti-discrimination protective measures in place for the LGBTQ+ community and no laws prohibiting hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual. This gives us an idea about the larger social setting within which this aspect of the show has been conceived. It is also safe to assume in this case that no one from the LGBTQ+ community was part of the writing team for the show or consulted when creating the characters. Considering that the leads of the show are two of the most popular actors in the Korean industry, one can rightfully assume that this would leave queer audiences disappointed, both in Korea and internationally. 

Bong-soon’s mother, Hwang Jin-Yi, is perhaps the main perpetrator of the casual yet pointed homophobia depicted on the show. The woman is oddly convinced that the only way to go for her daughter is to marry this particular handsome and rich CEO. Even after Bong-soon reveals that her boss is gay and a relationship between them is not possible, her mother only goes on to say that there aren’t any men who do not possess a ‘flaw’ like that. She forces her daughter again and again to get closer to Min-hyuk ‘physically’, constantly pushing Bong-soon to use her “feminine charms” to basically drive the homosexuality out of him. She also tries to convince her daughter to dress provocatively to draw his attention. Her mother seems to believe that sexuality is something that can easily be changed under the right circumstances. She even goes to the extent of telling her daughter to give Min-hyuk alcohol, showcasing how frighteningly little she cares about the man’s consent. These responses and reactions also show how she has no faith in her daughter’s abilities or any respect for her personal wishes. 

Since I watched the show back when it was still airing, I had to revisit certain scenes in order to capture the accurate details. I also referred to written recaps of individual episodes on ‘Dramabeans’, a popular website where viewers can discuss the latest dramas and get recaps of their favourite shows. Episode recaps are often written by different people yet most don’t seem to point out the inherently problematic nature of the way in which homosexuality is portrayed in the show. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, viewer ratings of the show are very high across the board. ‘Rakuten Viki’, a popular streaming platform for K-Drama fans, gives the show a viewer rating of 9.7/10 based on 253,686 votes. The lowest viewer rating that I found for the show was an 8/10. This illustrates how well-loved the show is within the K-Drama community. Even if many, like myself, felt uncomfortable at the show's portrayal of homosexuality, this criticism may often be drowned out by the overwhelming love for the show. 

While ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ disappoints in terms of queer representation, there are many K-Dramas that take a much more realistic and nuanced approach at representing the queer community. One of my personal favourites is ‘At Eighteen’ or ‘Moment of Eighteen’ released in 2019. While it doesn’t form the focus of the show, the portrayal of a gay character is so beautifully done that it has stayed with me after all these years. I would definitely recommend the show for anyone who is interested in a visually-pleasing, coming-of-age story. 

Legislative change, whether pro- or anti-LGBTQ+, plays a crucial role in defining how the life of the community gets impacted. However, legislative change is shaped by the perceptions and beliefs of the people. Any form of media then becomes an important means through which positive or negative ideas can be introduced to the public. The portrayal of homosexuality in ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ can create or strengthen harmful stereotypes about gay men in the minds of people, ultimately impacting the lives of real people outside of the show. This illustrates why proper and well-informed representation of communities in media is important in order to humanise them. When LGBTQ+ characters are introduced in shows for the sole purpose of injecting a few ‘jokes’ written in poor taste, it often chips away at their agency in the real world. The celebration of ‘Pride’ every June is an assertion by the LGBTQ+ community that they should not have to struggle in order to ensure proper representation in the media, which is a bare minimum expectation in the present world.