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I can readily identify several names, such as Joshua, Seungkwan, Mingyu, Key, Kevin, New, Changmin, Hyunsuk, Lee Know, Felix, MJ, Minhyuk, Heongjun, Seongmin, Jungmo, Keeoho, Hao, Hanbin, Sunoo, Ten, and Im Swian. Conversely, there are names like Jaehyun, Wonho, Jacob, Eunwoo, Hyunjin, Jiwoong, and Hae In, which could go either way. There could be more names, but I'm currently pressed for time.

Zhang Hao came equipped with three different Haobin couple items to the airport on his way back to China for the first time in two years. Had to take bae with him in any way he could lol. Extra context regarding the ring, part of a gift set from a fan for haobin for Qixi aka Chinese Valentine's day.

Soo what's the thread's opinion on TBZ' Younghoon? Because he's been hanging out with Renjun recently and I'm finding them kinda sus I actually wasn't thinking much of it just with the behind the challenges videos, even if they're really close, because god forbid thinking idols can't be friends and must automatically be dating. But after SM deleted both of their Baggy Jeans challenge videos I was like 'huh... why would they do that?'. It has been reuploaded but it seemed weird. And I still don't think they're dating dating, but there's some vibes yk. So I wanted to know if Younghoon is suspected and is he usually that clingy?

Personally, I think Yunho is very likely gay. I accept that I could be wrong, but there is something about him that draws me towards that conclusion. Even though he had his recent scandal with the brothel, I legitimately think he may have been telling something approaching the truth about his reason for being there. I, as a gay man, have found myself in places I normally wouldn't go to for my friends. No, I do not wish to elaborate on the latter point. As for who I think is gay in k-pop, I'll just list who has my attention. Shinee - Key; Minho has been giving me a few raised eyebrows lately. Wonho. ATEEZ - San, Hongjoong; I'm not entirely sure about the others, but I do feel something about Mingi Super Junior - Donghae; Heechul is a special case, being that he could in fact be gay but he could also be that special type of Asian pretty-boy who is (was, in his case- he has admitted as much), extremely narcisstic and used his looks to get things from other people. EXO - Sehun; I'm unsure about the rest; it's funny though because people used to swear up and down Baekhyun was gay back in the day. TxT - I've only recently started to listen to them, but Soobin right away felt he might be. TVXQ - Yunho; as I've said before, I'm aware of his previous scandal but I still have a strong belief he might be. OnlyOneOf - it might be hard to tell since they've strongly adopted the BL concept, but I think Rie and Yoojung probably are; the other two that I feel could be are Nine and KB. I used to listen to/follow a few other boy groups in the past but I haven't really kept up with them. Groups like BEAST/Highlight (Gikwang was incredibly popular among other gay men), VIXX (I'm surprised people think Leo is gay, maybe some things have happened in the years since), Got7, and a few others. Anyway, those were who I thought may be gay. I certainly could be wrong.

old asf post haha but i was lurking the older pages and the bottom two pics are the craziest to me, how is it possible to elongate lips' width like that? her lips used to end at around the same width as the side of her nose, now they extend way past that? i mean i know she got lip filler but is there another surgery she did to get them to extend like that? is it just an illusion cause her nose is narrower after rhinoplasty? edit: i know she's smiling in the second pic but even when she isn't the appearance is still there. see:

you saw yunho’s massive boner and bulge on stage and wanted him gay real bad its okay bud i’ve been there (not yunho)

I know I'll lose my mind if Mingyu touches his teeth. Veneers are so ugly because they RARELY do it correctly on these idols. They ALWAYS have these massive chompers when they smile.

Good lord, Key power bottom era

TVXQ debuted before I was born and people are still discussing which members like dick

(managed to fix the tweets not embedding ty!!)

I remembered this when you spoke about Hongjoong

Usually I don't think much about idols with pride flags because they're thrown at the stage and they end up picking it up for a few secs but this... Ningning was the one to go for the flag and she seems to hesitate for a split second if she should really do it, it's very telling. She also had the right side up, could be a coincidence or luck but I used to think all Aespa members were straight but maybe not so much anymore... after the stuff with her model masc friend and now this. Didn't Ning also like the sapphic couple from that k-drama that got famous?

Not strictly PS but could AKMU's Chanhyuk have had double jaw surgery? Or am I reaching? Image: His chin looks less recessed than it used to but I can't tell

TVXQ's Yunho? The one that got caught at a brothel during the pandemic and tried to flee the scene when the police barged in? Yeah, I don't think he's gay...

I remember a time when idols would wear concealer on the outside of their lips to make them smaller, and idols with really thick lips would even get weird comments saying they "look black".

i remember he used to be talked about more back in the day. i'm not sure of my thoughts on him but i'm going off what i remember rather than any new things i will have missed since i don't really keep up with tbz nowadays. he is a big taehyung fan which people thought was sus. taehyung also gave him a tata plushie and he basically took it everywhere with him people may have also found his relationship with new (or q?) interesting but i don't know if that ever went past just typical joke-ish fan shipping or not

white european, we never wear shoes inside and it is super rude to not take your shoes off the moment you enter someone else's home, i usually wear socks because my feet get cold easily

it’s very interesting to see explanations from k-side on things. k-fans don’t always appear to give extra nuance on things and i-fans judge situations based on their own surroundings well.. i need to listen to the entire album now with the eng lyrics too tweets still embed. you just have to copy and paste the link into another tab and then re-copy and paste that link onehallyu doesn’t recognise X link but it recognises twitter. it’s what i had to do before with tiktok blame elon for making literally everything more difficult with the dumb app

Wendy's parents came to watch Rebecca today, Shim Jaewon also came

Don’t even know where to start with this year, so many amazing and iconic songs were released this year, easily my favourite K-pop year However if I had to narrow it down, a moment that really sticks out for me is BTS’ performance at the AMA’s and not just because of everything it meant and being a first of many things but because I watched it with people from other fandoms and that camaraderie without competition and snark was the best feeling

Let this be a lesson to all production studios. Respect the source material.

At first, I thought I was the only one feeling this way, probably because I've been a K-pop fan for a long time and I'm not that young anymore. So, it seemed natural for me to feel like K-pop isn't as exciting for me anymore. But, I've noticed that many fans are saying the same thing - that nothing in K-pop feels as special or thrilling as it used to be. In my opinion, K-pop hit its peak in terms of music with the 2nd gen. When it comes to popularity, like breaking records and achieving things no one thought possible, the 3rd gen definitely takes the cake. But now, it seems like there's not much left to achieve, and even the music itself has become less diverse. Many groups release songs that are forgotten just a week after they come out. K-pop has expanded so much that now many groups can succeed at the same time, thanks to the larger market. There's space for everyone, which is why we don't have clear top groups like before. It's great that everyone can have a shot, but it also means less competition and fewer fan rivalries, which used to be a part of what made K-pop toxic yet interesting at the same time. Gone are the days when the comeback of a super popular group used to create a massive buzz and idols getting younger and younger isn't helping either. it's very clear that the current trend is tiktok songs and teen fans, and it's fucking boring And don't get me started on album sales. They no longer make any sense. Before, when groups used to hit a huge number of sale, you could see their popularity reflected in various metrics, everywhere. But , right now, every group seems to hold a record for just a month, and it doesn't feel as special anymore. You wanna tell me that a group can sell XX million with no digital hit or whatsoever. . make it make sense please.

I do agree with there being a stagnation. IMHO, the only new group that can get everybody and their mama interested in a comeback now is NewJeans. I hate doing this sort of thing, but let's compare their Lollapalooza debut with adjacent label mate's TXT. They were both happening at the same time, but the only one I saw talked by people I didn't even know cared about K-pop was NewJeans. The only reason I can come up with as to why they're so popular is that there's something fresh about the way they present their materials to us. 3rd generation plateaued Kpop because that was the generation that took everything from the previous ones and perfected it. 1st gen was about creating K-pop in its purest form, 2nd gen defining the sound and globalization. Where there is no innovation, there's stagnation. If companies are still making money from fans with outdated methods, why should they progress the genre?

Thank you all for the nice discussion. I agree with all of you, but to be quite honest, in essence, I have always been there for music. I've been a fan of K-pop since 2008, and the only group I stanned was only in 2016. I had my phases of getting sick of K-pop and finding it exciting again, so this is nothing new. This is not about me not being able to stan anymore (who has the time for that). But the reason why I made this thread is because I saw this discussion circulating here and there, and based on my current observation, it no longer has that huge buzz factor. To give you an example, compare how it was when top groups made their comebacks in the past (SNSD, BIGBANG, EXO, BTS, TWICE, BLACKPINK, and such). Everyone and their mother, fans and non-fans, were anticipating, and the hype was real. Now, take a look at the said groups who sell XX millions (which should indicate that they're absolutely the top). Aside from their own fandom, where is the hype and anticipation? In my opinion, K-pop is witnessing a stagnation now, and it's actually quite normal for any genre. (For example, how R&B used to be popular and mainstream, or any other music genre). it feels like a plateau

In china their entertainment board put out a statement about removing “sissy” men from tv. Jackson being him, could be trying to stay within the Chinese market.

That's why I chose to focus on other interests. I've ignored what other fans are saying and just like what I like. It's better that way. Kpop shouldn't be taken so serious. It's a music genre. I've been a fan for 11 years and I still enjoy some of the music. Are my ult fave group coming back ever? No but I learned to appreciate the music they put out and enjoy other artists.

JAEHYUN

hao continues to wear the necklace hanbin gifted him but also a ring that was given by a chinese haobin fan (they gave a set of matching/similar rings but apparently the one that hao wears is one that was specifically in a box for hanbin lmao). wearing them both while away in china.... maybe it wasn't intentional but idk let's enter delulu land, it's fun

JAEHYUN

Lol that makes it more interesting to me actually. Because now after 20 years, the DBSK/JYJ members had ample time to give the public more than a glimpse of their true selves hiding under the idol facade. After all their scandals and controversies, no one still sees them as the innocent and pure boys they were when they debuted. When you read old speculations on this thread it's funny to see how fans were naive and thought the idol personas of their faves were their real personalities. And ngl I sometimes get the same feeling when I read the current users of this thread writing about their own faves being gay kings or great allies because it was the same way former users used to talk about men like Heechul or Seungri (not that both are on the same shitty level but y'all get what I mean).

Hi. I think you should use the word sexual orientation instead of gender orientation. Gender identity and sexual identity are two different topics and it could lead to confusion. I'm not a native English speaker either so it's really normal for us to make mistakes though ! As for DBSK, you said you discovered them only a few months ago and I think that could explain your doubts. People who have been Kpop fans for some time know that SM Entertainment has a habit of creating pairings inside their groups to boost fans' support/interest and they create many contents around those pairings. I'm sure you already know about the drama DBSK filmed where Yunho and Jaejoong had a sort of romantic storyline ? So yeah, it's very hard for me to believe any ship from SM is genuine because they're kinda known for ship fanservice between members in Kpop. Other Kpop companies also push ships but I don't think it's done as strongly as in SM groups (with perhaps the exception of Big Hit's boygroups). Now, about Yunho and Jaejoong as individuals, I do believe Jaejoong is probably not straight. But as someone else already said above, I don't think Yunho is gay. His room salon scandal is honestly the only proof you need. Him being affectionate with men isn't really strong evidence of anything because many idols do lots of skinship (both because it's cultural and because it's expected of them as idols). Same for the preferring to hang out with friends than finding a girlfriend answer, most idols (regardless of their actual sexual orientation) tend to avoid discussing that topic because of their possessive fans. About the way he dances, maybe it's just me but mannerisms alone aren't enough evidence. I mean, many on this thread used to believe Joshua from Seventeen was gay because of his demeanor alone and he turned out to have a girlfriend. I agree that Yunho looking "uninterested" in women could be just him not showing his feelings. Also, again he's an idol and it's kinda their job to act devoted to fans and he knows some fans wouldn't like for him to flirt with girls publicly. Finally, being married or not at his age is also not that relevant. Many 2nd gen idols still aren't married yet, including the ones who are in known longterm relationships with the opposite sex (like Sooyoung from SNSD and Jessica Jung). It could be that Yunho didn't marry because of his career or monetary reasons, who knows.

That's an interesting question that I don't think has ever been asked before. People have posted about surveys of Korean gay males in general but nothing about actual other gay males in the entertainment industry. Whether or not they receive confessions depends on how approachable they (the idol) seem to be to a probably not out gay man. I know DO was super popular with Korean gay men and handsome more masc idols like Shownu and 2PM's Taecyeon. Speaking of ZB1 and Jiwoong, what happened on Boys Planet with him and the other male trainees confessing to him felt so fanservice-y for the most part. But there might have been some true feelings here and there ofc. lol My guesses: Wonho, Mingyu, NCT Jaehyun, Showhu, Baekho and Jiwoong ofc.

Well, in this case the anonymity benefits the victim. Male victims of sexual assault are more often ridiculed than pitied.

Haha not Gyuvin lowkey confirming they have queer members and have been told specifically not to come out. Im guessing kfans think that the groups reputation will suffer if people think they are the gaggle of gays that they are? Who knows.

I still can't believe he said that like..................... He's insane and unhinged fr, and Taerae's reaction, i just can't Edit: Even if Gyuvin said it as a joke i do think WakeOne definitely said this or something in line with this to the guys though, wbk that they're a homophobic company. They're the company that kicked out Woongki and Sungmin from the group that they rightfully earned their spot in through a survival show because they didn't agree with their more feminine image, after all. I hope he doesn't get in trouble fr

I don’t get any queer vibes from either of them. Maaaaybe Ricky a little, but Gyuvin seems straight as hell. This whole dynamic is giving me “Hey, bro, wouldn’t it be funny to mess with people by calling each other boyfriend?”. That, coupled with the fact they have seen how other members have gotten more popular by being shipped with other members, so from a career standpoint it makes sense for them to create a ship of their own. They seem like besties having fun and capitalizing on their friendship to grow their careers, a win-win situation for them.

disgusting vile trash should be in jail don't forget that women, children and elderly rights in Korea are one of the worst in the whole world and the incels there voted the current misogynist president Yoon Suk-yeol who denied that structural inequality between men and women exists and who threatened to abolish the Ministry of Family and Gender Equality. No wonder that men can continue do to horrible things in that country, even against men, without any repercussions

People with drug charges get their business all put out there and are publicly humiliated in South Korea. But a convicted sex offender is allowed anonymity? Not to mention lighter sentencing. Their laws are so fucking twisted.

No one I love myself

Cha Eunwoo, I want to be rich and famous without having any talent.

i doubt its that intentional like bc his managing or whatever. i think most current kpop fans just dont know or care ab him. btw, would be so dumb if that was reason too like.. how bad could his management be. like he can try to give the groups enough but if groups nugu, they just arent gonna last long. im not familiar w his recent group but i google them, and being a fan of nugu a lot in past, its hard bc i seen groups sustain for more than 3 release around those sales amount. but i dontknow if that hold up in like more recent years cuz ive been not following kpop as much to be knowing like what is 'nugu sales' now cuz now groups to me whousually sold just few hundred k are selling millions with (noticable to me, at least) very little fanbase increase diff. so can only assume that w/e reason, kpop sales just inflated all around so idk if their sales really holds up as like sustainable currently. and imnot meaning it in mean way like theyre nugu so yeah they dont last. tbf, if he commit to debuting them, he can try harder and etc. but there also other factors like how saturated industry is, and more and more as time goes on i bet. and its expensive, like the act of making music, etc. i mean for rain thats prolly a drop in a bucket but generally ig. also paying for living situation.. like theres sooo much worse management there could be. no opportunity, not gven frequent enough cb, etc. sucks. but ive been fan of groups in past where company doesn't/cant pay for their ultility, on my limited research, i dont see that, so i assume its just not given cb etc thats his bad management. extra fr if they that mad at rain for that. it just doesnt work out sometime. it sucks but truth. no offense to fans of his groups if thats insensitive. also i hate in recent yr when kpop fan claim/attempt black ocean. its disrespectful af. and it makes no sense. and everytime i seen ppl gloating or laughing ab like fk this artist look at this black ocean. its so not, like the black ocean was pitch dark. and is that funny to anyone? idr why that happened but girl, litersally pitch dark, makes me fking depressed looking at it. i can see why ciipher fans would be jaded at rain for not doing enough but it is not that disdain-able of an act imo

I doubt that this is the main reason. MBLAQ have been dead for so long that probably the fans either left kpop or become fans of another group and ciipher (correct me if i am wrong on this) is not that well know and probably don't have this many fans to make this commotion. Don't get me wrong but I would expect this reactions for a group that is more well known and with a bigger fandom that would attend the festival, not one that is not that known and didnt even attended kcon. i really doubt that ciipher fandom would buy kcon tickets just to do this So i have to conclude that it's most likely new kpop stans that dont know him and like to be disrespectful to older kpop artists/groups (the ones that think idols over 30 years are "hags" and should be retired already ) I stan many old groups and unfortunately is not that shocking to me those reactions turned to 1st and 2nd generation artists. It also dont help that Rain is not anymore that popular with international kpop stans so he probably didn't had that many fans there that was attending for him

Bad manners are bad manners, nothing praise worthy or justified about this behaviour.

In a workout vlog she did her instructor said Giselle unlike other idols she’s worked with is not interested in losing weight just being healthy with makes me believe that she’s okay with her size.

SCREAMSMSMSNSSN i kind of like how we finished with the connecting story like in terms of the set them being in uniforms is giving young high school lovers and the way it looks shot is like a drama which is so ironic considering how against some lyons were about them being in an actual bl drama running away together and the uniforms it’s reminding me like of where your eyes linger

Some gay men have 'gay voice', some have a twinge and others don't have it at all. Life in all it's varied glory. Seems like a good thing to me.