Lady

Debuting in 2005, Lady was South Korea’s first ever all-transgender band. The four-member pop group consisted of members Sinae, Sahara, Binu and Yuna, who reportedly beat out hundreds of other candidates to be part of the pioneering project.

Lady released a self-titled, eight-track album under Logi Entertainment and gained attention from the media for their band’s concept, performing on local music shows. Their music was not well-received by the general public, however, and they disbanded in 2007.

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Choi Han-bit

Choi Han-bit is a model and member of Mercury, a girl group under Gaon Entertainment that debuted in 2016, but has since been rumoured to have disbanded in the same or the following year. Choi gained attention for being open about her transgender status, particularly her gender confirmation surgery in 2006, which was fully supported by her parents.

“I have found many sexual minorities who distanced themselves from society to avoid public exposure,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times. “I would like to advise them not to hide and come out. With a fear of public attention, it’s all but impossible to change people’s attitudes toward us.”

In 2009, she took part in the SBS-sponsored TV show Supermodel Contest. Some viewers found her participation unfair, but SBS backed their decision by saying that it would be a “violation of human rights” if they disqualified her. She also went on to compete in the third season of Korea’s Next Top Model in 2012, and continues her career as a professional model today.

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Topp Dogg’s Hansol

Boy band Topp Dogg, now known as Xeno-T, became a hot topic in 2017 when former vocalist and face of the group Hansol came out as asexual. In an Instagram live, he confessed that he didn’t feel romantically or sexually attracted to anyone, saying, “I have been thinking a lot. I’m asexual. Asexual. I don’t like anyone, anybody. I just like myself, and my friends and family. I’ll probably never get married.”

Hansol also made a post on his now deleted Instagram account stating, “I think it’s disappointing that [humans] need the approval of others and that they become oppressed in society because they are different. How beautiful the world would be if everyone was free to love anyone under the law.” He left the group soon after, and now posts dance covers and selfies on his new account under the name Navinci.

D.I.P’s Seungho, B. Nish and Hyeongseong

Six-member boy band D.I.P debuted in 2016 under Inter BD Entertainment, and caused a stir the same year when members Seungho and B.Nish publicly admitted in an Instagram Live session that they were dating, and went on to open fan questions about their sexualities. The group’s leader Hyeongseong also reportedly indicated that he’s interested in both men and women on his old Facebook account.

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MRSHLL

Originally from Orange County, California, Korean-American singer-songwriter Marshall Bang, aka MRSHLL, publicly came out in interview with Time Out in 2015, three years after moving to Seoul and two years before making his music debut.

“Most of my friends in Korea told me it was social suicide,” he told Billboard. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and I understood the risks going into it, but I just wanted to be authentic and be open from the get-go.”

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