Over December 8th and 9th, 150 people gathered together over Zoom to listen in and discuss just what it means to “queer” the Korean Wave at the virtual symposium “Queering the Korean Wave” that I organised together with my fantastic colleague Dr Kristine Michelle Santos of Ateneo de Manila University.

Together with 14 other academics from around the globe, the symposium explored the fundamental paradoxes involved in theorising how Korean popular culture operates as both a positive force for change concerning LGBTQ+ representation and experience, while also simultaneously engaging with and reinforcing heteropatriarchy.

Below, you may listen to the recorded sessions.

Session 1: 

Keynote: Thomas Baudinette – “Unpacking the Queer Potentials of the Korean Wave: Reflections from Fieldwork in Australia, Japan, and the Philippines”

Session 2: 

1. Mathieu Berbiguier – “(Dis)identifications of Queer K-pop Fans in the Online Sphere”

2. Olivia Faith George – “Queer Counterpublic and Queer Fan Activism in South Korean K-pop Fandom: Rainbow MooMoo as a Case Study”

3. Janey Umback – “‘Am I Simping, or Do I Want to be Him?’: Remixing Jung Kook and Gender on TikTok

Session 4:

1. Chelsea Wenzhu Xu – “No Sissies on TV: Subculture, Neoliberalism, and Heteronormativity in Chinese Idol Survival Shows”

2. Alicia Kang – “Real Women in Korean Film and TV: Progressive Portrayals of Unmarried, Elderly, and Lesbian Women

3. Jonathan Jae-An Crisman – “Ambivalent Queerness: Navigating Heteronormative Cultures and Fan Desires in The King’s Affection” (not recorded)

4. Jiwoo Ha – “Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Redefining Disability and Masculinity in K-drama”

Session 5: 

Keynote: Kristine M. Santos – “Exploring Philippine Queer Possibilities through Transformative K-Pop Imaginations Online”

Session 6: 

1. Mylene T. De Guzman – “The Ships are Sailing: A Preliminary Study on Digital Fandoms and BLACKPINK Stan Twitter”

2. Zishan Lai and Michelle H. S. Ho – “‘Banning Sissy Idols to Clean Up the Entertainment Industry’: Queer Practices of Shipping BTS in Mainland China”

3. Rosallia Domingo – “What is the Future of Queer Activism?: A Look at LGBTQ+ Representation in K-Dramas (4.00pm-4.30pm)

4. Albert Graves – “White Dreams: The Korea-Japan Imaginary for Gay Men in Southeast Asia”

Session 7: 

1. Asna Kadambot Mohamed Rasheed and Devanshi Sarin – “Almost-Kisses, Grabbing Crotches: OnlyOneOf, ‘Queerbaiting’, and the Politics of Dislike (Note: due to technical issues, the first minute of this recording is missing)

2. Julia Trzcińska – “‘Your Sexual Orientation Based on Your Bias’: Queerness as a New Default in Online K-pop Fan Communities”

3. Mia Xinrui Liu – “Queering Mainstream Social Media: Organized Weibo Queer Writing and Consumption in Chinese BTS Fandom”

4. Thomas Baudinette – “Are You a Soft or Hard Stan? Exploring the Affective Ethics of Shipping Culture among LGBTQ+ Fans of K-pop Idols”