Queer Visibility in Korean Popular Culture and Queer Invisibility in Korean Communication and Media Studies

Abstract: Contemporary Korean cultural audiences are increasingly aware of the growing visibility of queer identities and experiences in South Korean society and popular culture. Unfortunately, Korean communication and media studies have remained largely silent on these societal and cultural shifts. This article calls on the discipline and its scholars to focus academic attention on the examination of queer issues in Korea and advocates for the application of queer theories and methods across various fields of communication and media studies. By doing so, the discipline can break its existing inertia and adopt interdisciplinary approaches to the rapidly evolving communication and media phenomena.