Hong Seok Cheon Shares Devastating Story of How His Parents Reacted to Him Being Gay

On a recent episode of Do You Eat?, singer, Wax, and Hong Seok Cheon appeared on the show where he talked about the time he came out to his parents about being gay.

Hong Seok Cheon, who came out of the closet in 2000, explained what led him to make the difficult decision.

I did it so that I could confidently love someone that understood me and live an honest and honorable life.

– Hong Seok Cheon

But the response was cold, leading him to believe that something was wrong with him.

I wondered if I was born wrong.

– Hong Seok Cheon

Hong Seok Cheon revealed that his parents ended up finding out through TV.

3 years before I came out, I told my sister, and she begged me to keep it a secret from our parents. She said, ‘Let’s keep it a secret until they pass away.’ But I felt like dying, so I ended up telling.

– Hong Seok Cheon

But when his parents found out, they responded by suggesting they all take pesticides and die together.

My parents said we should take pesticides together and die. They’re people of the countryside. They wanted to move. But now, they’re more understanding.

– Hong Seok Cheon

Hong Seok Cheon also added that that doesn’t mean they lost hope in him meeting a woman.

I guess they haven’t lost hope yet, because every time I bring over Wax (Hong Seok Cheon’s close friend), they talk about marriage.

– Hong Seok Cheon

Although Korea is still on the conservative side to this day, knowledge about sexual orientation was even harder to come by back in 2000 when Hong Seok Cheon came out.

Luckily, he is now a successful celebrity that represents the gay community in Korea, opening the doors to more diversification in the entertainment industry.