Kim appeared on the October 26 broadcast of KBS 2TV’s Malja Show alongside neuroscientist Jang Dong-seon.
During the program, Kim said he came out publicly at the age of 28 after giving the decision considerable thought. He explained that he grew up in a devout Christian household and that his parents were deeply shocked.
Kim recalled being told that someone at church had said his sexual orientation could be “treated” through prayer, while his family also asked whether he had considered going to a hospital.
Feeling that they could no longer communicate productively, Kim stopped speaking with his mother for about six months and remained out of contact with his father for four years.
During that period, Kim said he focused on his own life and worked hard at the things he enjoyed. His father eventually reached out first on New Year’s Day with a message saying, “Happy New Year. We should at least see each other’s faces while we’re alive.”
According to Kim, his father later told him that he had worried his son might end up living an unhappy life after “choosing the wrong path,” but felt relieved after seeing that he was living happily. He encouraged Kim not to let others look down on him and to live confidently.
Kim said his relationship with his family has since recovered and that they have become much closer.
He also shared that he gave his father a credit card for his birthday last year, which his parents now use to go out for meals on weekends and treat his younger siblings.
Kim added with humor that he had celebrated his father’s 60th birthday with relatives the previous day before leaving because he had plans to go to a club in Itaewon.
Netizen Reactions
The sampled Nate News discussion was largely focused on the parents’ reaction to Kim Ddol-dol’s coming out. Several commenters expressed sympathy for the difficulty his family may have experienced, while others voiced openly negative views about homosexuality. A few comments were lighter and focused on Kim himself or his content.
1. Most parents with a gay or bisexual child probably aren’t truly accepting their child’s sexual orientation—they’re just giving in because it’s their child. That’s simply a parent’s heart...
2. You might support someone when they’re a stranger, but if it were your own family, you’d probably completely lose it.
3. They accept it and give in because it’s their child... because they’re worried about what might happen to them. Their parents must have been going through so much inside...
4. Look, kid, I don’t think this happened just because your family is Christian. People keep emphasizing the Christian-family part because Christianity has a conservative image, but there probably aren’t many parents who wouldn’t struggle if their child told them they were gay. I’d probably be bedridden from the shock myself. The situation itself would be upsetting regardless of the family background.
5. It must have been really upsetting for them... a handsome son who studied hard, saying he won’t live what they consider a conventional life.........
6. If my son were gay... hmm, honestly, I don’t think that would be easy. It wouldn’t simply be about cutting ties or not seeing each other. It would probably feel like something enormous had happened. I think families need time before they can accept it and become supportive.
7. His name alone is funny, Kim Ddol-dol ã…‹ã…‹
8. Your parents embraced you because they’re your parents... Their love may be endless, but please don’t forget that they don’t necessarily believe it is right. I hope you understand the intentions of the parents who accepted you. A healthy society and community should correct what it believes is wrong together, so I hope you can break away from it.
9. Ddol-dol is funny ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ His content itself is hilarious, and his friend is funny too ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹
10. What is it about being a parent... I can only imagine what his parents must have gone through before reaching acceptance. Now that I’m a parent myself, I realize how difficult it can be.
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