Queer Links from the Week: Tudor's op-ed, part-time sex work, and lesbian roles for Korean actresses

Uhm Jung-hwa and Kim Hyo-jin

Daniel Tudor writes an op-ed for the Jung-ang Ilbo (in Korean) using statistics from last month's Gallup Poll to argue that Saenuri Party will have to embrace same-sex rights (eventually) due to the rapidly expanding support of same-sex marriage. Kim Jun-su wrote a response pointing out how statistics won't necessarily change any sort of party line, but emphasizing how Tudor points out the necessity for political parties to look more closely at their party's agenda. I would mention that support for same-sex marriage is still relatively low among those who support Saenuri Dang (23%) and those without an affiliation (39%)...

An article, so crazily written that I am itching to translate, warns of the dangers of increasingly prevalent gay prostitution and a growing number of adolescents engaging in part-time sex work, but written in a tone that mostly sounds like fear-mongering.  For even more fear-mongering, make sure to check out a seminar on the reality of homosexuality being held in Daegu. I felt bad that I assumed it was going to be anti-gay due to the fact that it was held at 'Apostles Church', but then I found this page where they were advertising their protest of the Daegu Queer Culture Festival. So yeah.

In pop culture, actress Son Eun-seo talks about how she has no discomfort playing a gay character, while netizens have been chatting about a lesbian role Kim Hyo-jin did in 2013's In My End Is My Beginning. Finally, I'm sure lots of readers have heard criticisms of The Interview for being, well, not a very good movie. An article over at Fanzine writes how gay men, women, North Korea and Asia in general come off as the unknown in the film.