Hong Suk Chun Shares How He Was Able to Overcome Discrimination Against His Sexuality

In 2000, Actor and TV personality Hong Suk Chun was asked a question regarding his sexuality on a variety show, and the actor decided to answer the question bravely and admitted that he was gay. The show's producer at first edited out his coming out in the interview. However, a journalist got wind of the story and pressed Hong Suk Chun to confirm his admission.

After expressing his real identity as a homosexual, he got fired from his network television programs and advertisements. He no longer landed on any acting roles as well as other projects. He was confronted with a massive stigma after becoming the first-ever openly gay celebrity in the country. Later on, he confessed that he experienced disdain, a lot of verbal abuse, and discrimination that he barely stepped out of his social circle.

Hong Suk Chun then wrote the memoir My Heart Still Throbs for Forgotten Love, wherein he opened about his failed romance with a Dutch man named Tony. Being forced to be kicked out of the entertainment business, Hong Suk Chun desired to leave the country to study in New York. However, he shared that he decided to stay in Korea to prove to his critics that he could be successful. Two years after he announced his sexuality, he started his first restaurant business named Our Place in 2002.

Warning: mentions of suicide.

On MBN's Dongchimi, Hong Suk Chun shared that after he came out, he thought he lost everything. Not even his own family understood him. He didn't even want to hear people asking him if what he was going through was hard. He added that since he is the portrait of optimism, he tried his best to keep going on for years and years, believing that he could win. But he couldn't, and one early morning, he found himself going to the Han River. He said to himself that before he left the world, he wanted to talk to someone.

In that situation, he couldn't face his family, so he decided to talk to his ex, who he thinks knew a lot about him. Then, he continued to share that as the phone was ringing, he said to himself that if the phone rings ten times, he'll just go. Then, his ex picked up in just three rings. He asked Hong Suk Chun if he was at Han River. Hong Suk Chun then decided to go home.

Lastly, he shared that if someone tells him that they just want to die or have some suicidal thoughts, he gave out a rough response and said that if they're going to die, then they should sign an organ donation form.

Hong Suk Chun now is a proprietor and runs nine high-end restaurants in Itaewon, which is the home to a large expat community in Seoul. His restaurants are all distinguished by the prefix "My," namely: My Hong, My Chi chi*s, My Thai, My Thai China, My X, My Chelsea, My Noodle, and My Suji.