I recently shared my LGBTQ playlist.
I know at least a few of you like K-Pop. Korea is a very conservative country and it’s really only the last decade or so that it’s even become acceptable to discuss the idea of gay people.
I’m splitting this list into two parts. The first will be those songs that are the most popular and/or my favorites. After that will be a list that helps fill out a more complete list of videos about LGBTQ topics.
Here’s my favorite K-Pop Videos with LGBT Themes
2007 - Into the New World : Girls’ Generation - This is their debut song and it contains inspirational lyrics about facing hard things to get to a better place. It has been sung at feminist political protests and Pride festivals. Here is a translation of the first stanza “I want to tell you, even though the sad times have already past, close your eyes and feel my moved heart, my gaze at you. Don’t wait for a special miracle. There’s a rough road in front of us with unknowable future and obstacles. I won’t change. I can’t give up”
2009 - Abracadabra : Brown Eyed Girls - This video is about a guy cheating on his girl, she finds out and gets her revenge. At the end, she puts a candy heart (that’s poisoned) in her mouth and leans in to kiss the “other woman,” presumably to deliver the poisoned heart. Just before the girl-on-girl kiss, the video ends. This sexy video really pushed the boundary of what is acceptable in Korean music videos
2009 - Chu : f(x) - Amber (the one with the short hair) is a member of the group f(x) and has made a career of defying female gender roles and that has made fans wonder “is she or isn’t she” a lesbian (or non-Korean fans wonder if she’s trans masc). I included this video on the list because Krystal wears a a blue shirt that says ‘Legalise Gay’ although it’s difficult to read because of the jacket & necklaces she’s wearing.
2012 - Please Don’t : K.Will - This is a video about a guy in love with his friend who is about to get married. This became known as THE gay K-Pop video because of the surprise plot twist at the end. This video caused a lot of discussion.
2014 - Catallena : Orange Caramel - I love this iconic video of women dressed like fish & sushi. While it isn’t widely seen as a lesbian song, the lyrics “she’s so great, I’ve fallen for her,” and “I can see she’s so attractive even though I’m a girl, too” suggest at least an understanding.
2015 - Excuse Me : BESTIE - The girls find magical glasses that shows the true intention of guys. In one scene, a girl asks a nice guy for his number but turns out he’s gay, totally crushing on his friend. Seems all the nice men are gay.
2015 - Um Oh Ah Yeh : Mamamoo - 3 members of this girl group dress as guys and challenge gender roles in this fun video
2016 - All In : Monsta X - The mask in the video is Hyungwon using it to hide his wounds from his parents’ abuse and also doubles as metaphor for hiding his gayness from Korean society. Maybe the reason Hyungwon’s dad beats him is because Hyungwon and Minhyuk are shown to be together. The overall idea of the video is fighting for basic human rights
2016 - Navillera : Gfriend - Although it’s done in a cutesy way that could be interpreted as best friends, Gfriend confirmed that in the video Yerim & Eunha are in a relationship.
2016 - Sweet Dream : Heechul, Min Kyung-Hoon - A love triangle where Kyung-Hoon has loved Heechul the whole time
2017 - All Night : Girls’ Generation - The most successful K-Pop girl group released a song about falling in love in the club, and they include 3 drag queens in the video dancing with Girls’ Generation
2017 - 365 So Fresh : Triple H - This video was controversial because of its depiction of sex, suicide, and crime, and for implying this is a polyamorous relationship of 2 guys (Hui & E’Dawn both of the group Pentagon) and 1 girl (Hyuna). A year later it was announced that E’Dawn & Hyuna were dating, so it appears some of the chemistry in this video was real.
2017 - Whisper : VIXX LR - The video uses the colors red & blue to illustrate their relationship. Ravi is dressed in blue with a blue notebook engraved with the letter “L.” Leo is dressed in red and puts on headphones embossed with the letter “R.” Then the video swaps colors and Ravi represents red and Leo blue. At one point they’re each bathed in their respective colors but when they think of the other person, that other person’s color is projected onto their face. It’s a cool use of color to show they’re drawn to each other.
2017 - Heart Attack : Chuu (of the group Loona) - The music video, shows Chuu crushing for Yves and is widely interpreted by fans as a depiction of a lesbian crush. They point to moments like feeding strawberries to each other. I think the apple is meant to symbolize the forbidden love. Having positive representation of a lesbian crush is significant because same-sex relationships were and are often stigmatized in South Korea.
2018 - Neverland : Holland - Holland is openly gay and his song is most definitely gay and his music video is exceptionally gay as it portrays a blossoming gay romance
2018 - What is Love? : Twice - In the music video, the girls of Twice play each other’s love interest
2020 - Oh My God : (G)I-dle - The lyrics in the chorus deserve attention: “Oh my god, she took me to the sky. Oh my god, she showed me all the stars” The group’s leader, who wrote the song, says the lyrics represent love in many forms.
Here are additional K-Pop LGBT Videos
2001 - History : Turbo feat. Harisu - Turbo was big in the 1990’s. This is one of their final songs before breaking up and it featured Harisu, a transwoman, who became the first transgender entertainer in Korea and in 2002 became the second person in Korea to legally change their gender.
2005 - Lady’s Night : Lady - A girl group made up of transgender women. They received a lot of press, but the Korean public just wasn’t ready for them.
2006 - I Won’t Love : Baek Ji Young - I think this is the first K-Pop music video to have a gay relationship, including a kiss, although the actual kiss is blurred out by the bright light behind them. There’s imagery in this video I like, these two friends in love are walking down a bridge they can’t cross over because it’s broken and symbolizes their society won’t accept their relationship. There’s other bridges over the river, but not for them together.
2009 - Because of You : After School - This video follows a love triangle between 3 girls
2010 - First Kiss : 4Men - The lady in this video is devastated when the man she loves falls for another man
2011 - Not Alone : Park Jungmin of SS501- This song & video lets people who feel like a minority know they’re “not alone.” The video features a lot of different types of people who have endured hardships, including a man who dresses like a woman (drag queen style)
2012 - She’s a Flirt : Baby Soul, Yoo Jia - In the video, Babysoul is hopelessly in love with her friend, but her friend has a boyfriend. The friend has to decide whether to stay with her boyfriend or follow her heart & be with Babysoul
2012 - The Day Before : Nell - This is a very somber video, tw: suicide. The video shows us how this person spent his day before being found dead–writing a note, recording a video message, pouring a clear liquid (presumably poison) into his coffee. The lyrics “it is so hard to bare” and I “couldn’t live like this” reflect the difficulty of being in a society where he can’t be accepted. While it doesn’t directly say he’s gay, that’s what is widely understood. It’s a plea for society to accept gay people.
2012 - Animal : Jo Kwon - This song about equality was Jo Kwon’s solo debut and he gives a strong performance in 7-inch heels. He continues to be a voice for LGBTQ rights in Korea and defies gender stereotypes in his clothes & appearance
2012 - Party (XXO) : GLAM - This song was written by RM of BTS. In their debut song, GLAM’s lyrics are about breaking the rules and loving who you want. “Are you a boy? Girl? I don’t care. Passion is the key, a hot heart is your ID” It wasn’t a big hit and GLAM quickly went away, but it has the elements for a queer anthem
2013 - Bad Girl : Bumkey ft. E-Sens - In this music video the girl tries to seduce a guy who turns out to be gay
2013 - A Boys : N.O.M. - Nature of Men (N.O.M.) shocked many with their overtly sexual debut music video.
2014 - Delicious : toheart (Key of SHINee and Woohyun of Infinite) – Key and Woohyun might think they are trying to win over the same gal but in reality they are winning each other over
2014 - How Do I Look? : Beenzino - Different people come to the laundromat in this video, including a gay couple. Well, not sure they were a couple, very well could’ve just met at the laundromat and had the hots for each other.
2014 - Don’t Look At Me Like That : Songjieun - This song’s lyrics are about love between people of the same gender, of different races, of different ages, all which are taboo in Korean culture. “We’re just in love, that’s all. Don’t hate on us, however you’re viewing us. We’re just a little different. Just leave us alone."
2015 - Rainbow (ft. Crush) : Planet Shiver - This song is about equality in general, including for LGBT people. The song’s message is that everyone should be a free person without judgement
2015 - Touch : Anda - This video is anything but subtle. Girls sitting atop other girls or spreading open a woman’s legs. I mean, is this a lesbian orgy or what?
2015 - Sleepless Night : 9Muses - It’s a crazy night, at the end of the video, one of them wakes up the next morning with a hangover, finds her room a mess, and sees there’s a topless woman in her bed (how many times have we seen this trope of a man waking up to find a woman in his bed, strongly implies they slept together)
2016 - One More Day : Sistar, Giorgio Moroder - This song is about finding love in tragedy. Two friends are in love with each other, but one of them is stuck in an abusive relationship. In the end, they’re able to be together…but at what cost
2016 - Wish Tree : Red Velvet - A story of unrequited love between 2 women
2017 - Dreamcatcher : Lucky Strike - This girl group is doing a cover of a song and they don’t change the pronouns in the English lyrics, so they’re singing "she got me” and “she keep me up all night”
2016 - Free Somebody : Luna - This song is a staple at Pride events in Korea. It’s not specifically about LGBTQ topics or people, but the lyrics talk about how we’re different and beautiful. “We are dyed with different colors and are full of different scents. The tips of the five senses are soaked in fantasy where all of these senses happen.”
2017 - Love is a Dog from Hell (ft. Suran) : Mad Clown - This video showcases a beautiful transgender story
2017 - Critical Beauty : Pentagon - All the members are coupled up. Don’t try to tell me they’re meant to be good friends when one of them looks at the other while pointing to his ring finger.
2017 - Let’s Party : Mercury - This girl group includes a trans woman
2017 - Help : 10CM - This video covers tough topics in Korea, including being gay. The male couple struggles with their relationship as they worry how society views them
2017 - Boy : The Boyz - how can anyone watch this and think it’s not about the boys being interested in each other–the backward glances, the lingering looks
2017 - Peek-A-Boo : Red Velvet - While not having explicitly LGBTQ+ lyrics, it is frequently featured on queer K-pop playlists and favored for its “campy,” high-fashion styling, mysterious storyline, and confident “femme fatale” concept.
2017 - Move : Taemin - SHINee’s Taemin gave us a video where he blurred the gender norms in the choreography. The performance is often described as the epitome of androgyny, challenging traditional, strict gender roles in Korean society. In the video, Taemin performs with an all-female dance teem, often performing the same fluid hip movements as them. He wears mesh shirts, silk, and dramatic eye makeup, which are common elements in queer styles. His hand movements in the choreography are reminiscent of “voguing."
2018 - I’m your girl? : Khan - The video has Euna holding hands with a boy, and the moment she drops his hand suggests that they have ended their relationship. Minju cuts Euna’s hair and helps her through her relationship problems. Then it ends with Minju & Euna interlacing their fingers, which could symbolize the beginning of a relationship.
2018 - Love Ya! : HyukOh - The music video shows many couples together, including gays and lesbians, we’re just part of the mix of couples and it’s nice
2018 - 159cm : Tenny - this music video shows 2 girls in a relationship despite their parents opposition
2018 - I’m Not Afraid : Holland - In this video, Holland is throwing a house party with his boyfriend. I love the words of the song “I’m not afraid anymore”
2018 - Lover : Kevin Oh - shows the relationship between 2 guys coming to an end
2018 - Page 0 : Taeyeon x Melomance - This music video is about being yourself, and it includes LGBT representation
2018 - 있지 : Jaurim - A girl is driving and finds another girl in the middle of the road and puts her in the car. She gets to a phone booth and goes to make a call, but breaks down crying. The rest of the video is a flashback to them falling in love, including a sweet moment where one of them leans over and gives the other a kiss
2018 - Empty Words : Huh Gak - the video shows two friends on campus, one of whom gets a boyfriend, leaving the other to watch the girl she’s crushing on falling in love with this guy. She has to learn to let go.
2019 - Nar_C : Holland - The music video tells the story of two lovers who at first enjoy their time together. The video ends with Holland crying on his own after his boyfriend walks away from him after an apparent fight, and a bouquet of flowers, a symbol of their love, crashes to the floor.
2019 - Goodbye : Wheein (of Mamamoo) - A heartbroken girl goes to her art teacher’s house. She throws out all items belonging to the man while putting on the woman’s makeup, smelling her perfume and wearing her clothes. At the end of the video, the new couple comes home to find their home trashed. The man believes they’ve been robbed, but the woman knows exactly who has been there as she finds a framed photo of her & her boyfriend, but his face has been painted over.
2019 - Wonder Woman : Brown Eyed Girls - The girl group members are dressed as grooms, and their brides are drag queens.
2020 - Monster : Red Velvet - The lyrics and video are considered queer-coded due to its intense, sapphic-toned imagery, intimate choreography, and dark, seductive themes, many consider it to have strong homoerotic undertones
2021 - Show Me Your Pride : Lionesses - This South Korean group is the first openly LGBTQ+ K-pop boy band, aiming to inspire queer Koreans facing discrimination. This song was explicitly designed as a trailblazing queer anthem for the LGBTQ+ community as it tackles LGBTQ+ challenges, including coming out, homophobia, and the quest for joy and self-acceptance.
2021 - Tail : Sunmi - The song and video are inspired by the CD character Cat Woman. The song is titled “tail” since animals express their emotions through their tails. The song about the cat woman villainess who wants to love with all her heart and is paired with sensual choreography. Combine this with Sunmi being an LGBTQ+ ally and fans view this all as very queer coded.
2023 - Lights Up : QI:X - This is one of the first openly queer, transgender K-pop acts, and their mission has as much to do with changing South Korea’s still-conservative attitudes towards queer people. This song focuses on themes of self-acceptance, queer identity, and LGBTQ+ pride
