Reading List: Narrative Case Study: Unheard Life Story of a Senior Gay Korean Man

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When I think of handsome old men, I think of Kim Sang - Jung 

Shin-Young Kim's Masters case study Unheard Life Story of a Senior Gay Korean Man is an engaging analysis of the life of one Korean elderly male. From the abstract:

The findings of this study reflect on the man’s unique way, acquired through his life 
experiences, of balancing a homosexual life and a heterosexual life, especially between 
his personal desire and family responsibility. In the two disparate worlds, the gentleman 
pursued true love and adapted himself to changing of patriarchal values as well as aging 
instead of insisting on the time-honoured cultural heritage. The senior man faced 
challenges and changes in his later life with a positive attitude and wisdom he acquired 
through experiences in his early life.

Of course, the study reads like a Masters thesis (what with a literature review, outline of methodology, etc). Although there are some interesting tidbits in his lit review and methodology, I would recommend skipping ahead to Chapter 4: Mr. Jung’s Life History as an Older Gay Korean Man. We learn about Mr. Jung's sexual awakening and the conflict between his love of family and love of men. 

The tragic irony was that the two different kinds of love could not be compatible in Mr. Jung’s life. Mr. Jung’s care for family members made him feel obliged to be a good brother and father and it meant that he had to give up satisfying a personal desire to live a gay life in Korean society. The reason Mr. Jung decided to get married even though he did not want it demonstrates the priority of his commitment to his family. (43)

The narrative is melancholic at times, but an interesting read nonetheless. If only we could peruse more stories about the difficulties living as a Korean gay man or woman forced into a heterosexual relationship due to societal constraints. Although it admittedly must have been difficult to find other older men that would candidly talk about their homosexual tendencies, the paper's broad generalization about behaviors of seniors with same-sex desires based on one case is its glaring flaw (which the author admits frequently). I would also question the author's psychological analysis of Mr. Jung. Kim mentions that because of the death of Jung's father early in life, "he might unconsciously crave for a father’s touch and pursue it through relationships with other men". This psychology is not align with modern day views of sexuality (though can be found all over Christian websites like this). Some of the research Kim cites is also a bit dubious. Two scholars, Kwon and Kim, estimated that about .2% of the Korean population is homosexual, which is around 100,000 people. Ha. I've slept with more people than that in my two years in Korea. Good read though.

The piece concludes with some advice for social workers dealing with senior gay Koreans. If you'd like to read more, the whole case study is available in PDF format. Enjoy.