Queer identity and sexuality in South Korea

Abstract

본 연구는 최근 한국에서 성적 정체성과 성적 지향 간의 차이에 관해 다룬다. 이를 위해 자신의 성적 정체성을 양성애자로 규정하는 남성들을 대상으로 한 것이다. 이들은 한국에서 발생기에 있는 퀴어 집단 이다. 한국에서는 퀴어 관련 연구들조차 종종 성적 정체성과 성적 지향을 동일한 것으로 여기고 있으며, 지금까지 성적 정체성의 차원이나 성적 지향의 차원에서 양성애자들을 다룬 연구는 존재하지 않았다. 게 이의 성적 정체성은 세계적 추세에 따라 주목받기도 했고, 두 명의 연예인 - 한 명은 최근에 TV 프로그램 을 통해 커밍아웃했고, 다른 한 명은 수술을 통해 성전환한 것을 밝혔다 - 에 의해 관심이 촉발되기도 했다. 전반적인 초점은 게이 남성의 성적 정체성에 맞춰지고 있으며, 퀴어나 퀴어의 성적 지향성은 상대적 으로 주목 받지 못 했다. 그 결과 기존 연구들은 게이를 일반화하는 문제를 갖고 있으며 퀴어를 구체적 행위 속에서 인식하지 못 하는 결과를 낳았다. 본 연구에서는 성적 지향과 성적 정체성 간의 역동적 관계 를 이해하기 위한 방편으로서 양성애자에 관심을 가져야 한다는 것을 제안하려 한다. 또한 본 연구에서 는 20-27세의 한국인 남성 중 양성애자-동성애자-이성애자를 각각 5명식 면담하여 그들의 구술이 보여주는 인터뷰 패턴을 비교 분석함으로써 양성애(자) 정체성과 지향성이 한국 사회의 맥락 속에서 갖는 특수한 의미들을 보여 주고자 한다.

Throughout this thesis I have emphasized the dangers of placing the formation of sexual identities in South Korea both within the interpretive position of linear evolution toward Western modernity as well as within a conceptual framework that they are universal or even cross-comparable. This is, however, the unfortunate trend with the current South Korean gay movement in the country. Despite the running mantra of opposition (Butler, 1990

Gopinath, 1996

Holton, 1998

Goldie, 1999

Hoad, 2000) including myself, the general tendency is to believe that modernizing trajectories abroad should and are forming in like ways domestically. Though queer scholarship is a quickly growing field in South Korea, it remains one that does not always consider the domestic particularity of surrounding its own trajectories. This has led to a general disregard of several pertinent questions: Is a gei really a gay? Is a universal gay identity linked to modernity? How, if any, do these gay movements impact bisexual men in the country? With this in mind, this thesis set out to answer the following four questions: 1. How is bisexuality interpreted in South Korea in terms of sexual behavior and sexual identity? 2. In what ways do bisexual males differentiate themselves from other sexualities in the country? 3. What social factors have led to or deterred the development of bisexuality as a social identity in the country? 4. What influence, if any, does the existence of bisexuality have on queer-related studies and discrimination in the country? As can be ascertained throughout the thesis, the development of articulations of sexual identities may linguistically rely heavily on adoption of similar Queer terminologies, however the factors that account for those identities are not universal. This nuance in meanings leads to problems of using Western methodologies to promote those identities. This is especially the case in which accepted umbrella ideologies such as human rights and nuanced identities such as gay become issues that extend even transnationally, which could both pose a danger not only of South Koreas domestic integrity, but also threatens to condense such identities into malformed, mismatched, and inappropriate ways. The results of this interview-based study showed that while the U.S., which is a strong influence both in media and academia in the country, currently battles with deconstructing the hetero-homosexual dichotomy, South Korea is vigorously constructing it. In addition, while the dynamics of identity politics have taken root in South Korea, the queer combatants are still in negotiation in terms of how to define themselves and in what ways these definitions will adequately account for addressing the social factors they must deal with, such as fulfilling traditional patriarchal duties, avoiding risks, asserting sexual individualism, acting as agents of identity, and so on. The existence of bisexuals fundamentally changes both the meaning of gei in Korea and also leads to a need to reassess how discrimination against queers in the country is being handled. In particular, the rise of the anti-homophobia agenda not only leads to added pressures on self-identified bisexualities but also further marginalizes their existence. In addition, bisexuality in South Korea is increasingly becoming tied to the hetero-homosexual paradigm—even though, as found via research in this thesis, bisexuality in South Korea is not necessarily intrinsically linked to either heterosexuality or homosexuality. Rather, bisexuality according to the study conducted here, is tied to relationship fulfillment and sexual intimacy, which differs from the case of heterosexuality and homosexuality in the country.