Hong Seok-cheon Recalls Father’s Heartbreaking Reaction to His Coming Out: “Let’s Die Together by Poison”
On December 17, Hong Seok-cheon, actor Choi Jin-hyuk, and singer Huh Gak appeared as guests on SBS’s “Dolsing Fourmen.”
Hong Seok-cheon, the first celebrity to come out, explained that he made the decision at the peak of his career, “I was 30, in the year 2000, during the height of ‘Three Guys and Three Girls.’ I was so busy, earning money, but I started wondering, ‘What is my happiness?'”
He continued, “At that time, my boyfriend cheated on me with another man, and we broke up. After that, I realized that if I wanted to keep my person, I had to first be true to myself, so I decided to come out. I thought I shouldn’t deceive anyone.”
When asked if he ever regretted it, he responded, “I took a break from broadcasting for three and a half years. After three years, I started feeling a little anxious, so I opened a restaurant.”
Having done the coming-out interview with his close friend, actress Lee Eui-jung, he shared, “I have three young nieces and nephews. I hope they remember me as an honest and brave uncle when they grow up.”
In that interview, Hong Seok-cheon said, “The most important thing I want to say is that the old me and the current me haven’t changed. If my experience is different from yours and you dislike me for it, I will study more. And if you accept me later, I want to give you a smile that comes from my heart, not a fake one,” as he teared up.
Reflecting on watching the video 15 years later, he said, “I couldn’t watch it. Back then, my closest friend Eui-jung asked me questions, and we edited the 90-minute video down to 30 minutes. We sent it to various media outlets. The final version only showed me crying.”
He continued, “People only remember me crying, thinking I made a huge mistake and regretted it. They thought I came out because someone caught me, and it was a bad thing. But I had an enjoyable interview. I had prepared a lot, felt relieved, and have never regretted it.”
Hong Seok-cheon revealed that his parents tried to stop the interview until the very end, “My parents are from the countryside in Chungcheong-do. They came to Seoul by taxi late at night. The next day, a lawyer came, and they tried to stop the interview.”
He continued, “I did the interview in a monthly magazine. I had about 15 days to prepare. My parents were trying to figure out how to persuade me. My dad said, ‘Let’s die together by poison’ and ‘I can’t live in my hometown because of shame.’ They tried everything to convince me, but I firmly decided to go through with it. When I asked, ‘Why are you doing something that no one is asking you to do?’ I said, ‘I’m 30 now, and if I haven’t told my parents what kind of son I am, think about how unhappy I would be.’ My dad listened and said, ‘If you can take responsibility, go ahead.'” This heartfelt moment moved everyone.