Is K-pop really ready for LGBTQ+ visibility?

With Cocona of the Japanese group XG — who trained and debuted through the K-pop system — revealing on Saturday that they are transmasculine non-binary, the K-pop scene now counts at least four idols who have publicly come out this year. The streak of disclosures may suggest that the traditionally conservative K-pop system, along with Korean society, is finally warming to LGBTQ+ visibility. But industry insiders say the landscape is far more complicated. Lara and Megan of Katseye, a multinationa