Actress Youn Yuh-jung has publicly revealed her eldest son's coming out.
On the 16th, ahead of the release of the Hollywood film 'The Wedding Banquet', Youn Yuh-jung stated in interviews with Variety and People magazine, “My eldest son came out as gay in 2000.”
In her interview with People, Youn Yuh-jung said, “My life and my films are very closely related,” adding, “Korea is a very conservative country. People never openly reveal they are gay, especially in front of their parents. But my eldest son is gay. I shared my experiences with my son in this film.”
In an interview with the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post, she mentioned, “When same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, we held my son's wedding there. It was still a secret in Korea, so the whole family went to New York.” She also joked, “Now I love my son-in-law more than my son.”
However, she expressed concern, saying, “I don’t know what the reaction will be in Korea. They might throw that book at me,” and added, “I hope Korea opens its heart, but I don’t know if that will happen.”
The film 'The Wedding Banquet', in which Youn Yuh-jung stars, tells the story of characters growing up amidst cultural identity, queer identity, and family expectations. Directed by Ang Lee, who won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Feature Film at the Golden Horse Awards in 1993, it has been remade by Korean-American director Andrew Ahn.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
