This Train Is Bound For Bojeung, This Train

One of the ambiguous pleasures of visiting Korea is seeing Korean TV, especially some of the commercials. I still lag behind current corporate culture there, so I don't recognize all the stars who perform in commercials, but I recognize some. And it's educational to compare gay-themed or at least gay-ish commercials in this conservative Confucian country with gay-themed commercials from the Philippines.




If anyone ever does a version of The Celluloid Closet for Korean media, this commercial will have a special place in it, what with its use of flamboyant sissy stereotypes that haven't been seen in US movies since Blazing Saddles. The boys are from a boy group called 2 PM. Here's another version, also subtitled, with some different scenes.



This is a commercial for soju, Korea's potent rice wine (more like rice vodka!), featuring unconvincing heterosexual display and muscle queens. Alternative version here.