One of the most highly anticipated idol survival shows of the year, "Boys Planet", has officially premiered with an excellent roster of aspirants chasing their dreams. However, one thing continues to irk us: why is queerbaiting still a thing in 2023? Let's dive into it!

Note: This article is based on speculation. It does not claim to state facts. 

The second episode of "Boys Planet" featured the continuation of the first Star Level Test. One by one, we got introduced to the remaining candidates and saw their performances as well as the mentors' remarks. Naturally, the introductions were peppered with edits and individual "storylines", especially for contestants who have established a reputation since before the show.

One such contestant is Kim JiWoong. One of the top rising stars of the Korean entertainment industry, Kim JiWoong, gained attention among global fans for not just his talent in acting but also his effortless charms and otherworldly visuals. He rose to popularity with the dramas "The Sweet Blood", "Kissable Lips" and more recently "Roommates of Poongduck 304", the latter 2 of which are in the BL genre.

Besides acting, Kim JiWoong also debuted in the group INX as JiNam in 2016. However, they disbanded in 2017 and the members' contracts were nullified after they won a lawsuit against their company for mistreatment, lack of support, and poor working conditions in 2018.

Later that year, Kim JiWoong debuted in ATEEN as King, promoting in Japan for a short while before this group was presumed to have disbanded after all the members left their company. This was because 6 out of the 10 members sued their company DS&A Entertainment's CEO (female), as well as an investor (the wife of the CEO's younger brother) for sexual assault. The incident shattered the mental health of the victims, who had to then seek professional help. Not much is known about the lawsuit itself but all the members' contracts were abruptly terminated.

In 2019, Kim JiWoong was part of a pre-debut group called B.I.T with three former ATEEN members (SeGun, Joel, Rookie) as well as a new member, Jun. B.I.T also promoted in Japan but the group has been largely inactive.

Needless to say, Kim JiWoong has had his fair share of struggles throughout his career. After debuting as an actor, he was able to finally see a ray of hope, especially with how loved he was by fans all over the world. However, his dream of becoming an idol was simply deferred, not forgotten. Now, with "Boys Planet", where he entered as an individual trainee, he hopes to achieve this long-lost dream that he was denied time and time again.

Our heart goes out to Kim JiWoong and his story but it seems as though "Boys Planet" has decided on a whole different angle altogether. First, during a camera check, we see Kim JiWoong posing for the camera, as did many other trainees, in a sexy way. He immediately draws attention, with his fellow contestants complimenting him for his godly visuals and charms. The trainee sitting beside him, namely Yoon JongWoo (former member of Black Level going by the name Ze:U), also an individual trainee, mentioned that he had "fallen" for his visual.

An emotional BGM filled up the space, as JongWoo shared how he had been looking for a chance…to kiss him. So, he goes for it, inching closer to JiWoong while the latter stayed still in his place. The camera panned to the other contestants, some of whom seemed scandalized while the others cheered, even getting up from their seats to applaud. A Mahatma Gandhi quote flashes on the screen – “Love is the prerogative of the brave”. The camera zooms in on Kim JiWoong’s lips as he’s caressing them before he looks right into the camera with his dreamy gaze. End scene.

That’s right. Show’s over, guys! Yoon JongWoo reveals in his confessional that it was all just for show, a “concept”, if you may, and that there should be at least one character like him on every program – a part that was conveniently removed from the pre-release clip uploaded on the Mnet YouTube channel to build sensationalism. Not only does this imply on some level that pretending to be queer is something to be made a spectacle of for entertainment purposes, but also promotes that just because it’s a BL actor in question, such a thing is appropriate and even encouraged for publicity.

This is where the question of queerbaiting comes into play. For those who might not know, "queerbaiting" refers to the act of attracting viewers interested in queer narratives with vague intimations of the same without ever clearly confirming or denying the queerness of the people involved. What "Boys Planet" does is that it sets up a queer relationship extremely evidently, complete with scenes taken out of context implying JongWoo's interest in JiWoong and then flat-out denies it by revealing that it was all an act. We're expected to laugh along as if it's a real-life BL drama scene and then move on like nothing happened...except that it did, and it got worse.

The discomfort continued when the mentors asked Kim JiWoong why he wasn't wearing a shirt under his blazer, to which JongWoo replied by attempting to "check" under his clothes, once again crossing a boundary, but it is somehow supposed to be alright (even funny) since it's two men we're talking about. Kim JiWoong was visibly uncomfortable at this point, which was passed off as him being "shy".

Now, knowing reality show mechanics, it is rather difficult to believe that this little skit was solely the personal "creative" decision of Yoon JongWoo and not a prompt from the production, especially since Kim JiWoong can be seen "acting" as he would in a K-Drama and is even heard saying that it was "pretty fun". If it was a scripted segment, one can only imagine how unbelievably odd, if not downright humiliating, it must have been for both trainees to have their sexualities thrown around on a music competition show that has absolutely nothing to do with the same, simply because Kim JiWoong has worked on BL dramas.

Moreover, Yoon JongWoo might not even be aware of the gravity of the matter and how he is being represented not just on national television but also to viewers all over the world, which might negatively impact his career moving forward. So, essentially, it is these talented trainees that have to take the brunt of the criticism when it is "Boys Planet" that is using the "BL storyline" for a few extra clicks.

On the other hand, if it was indeed Yoon JongWoo's personal opinion that "acting queer" is entertaining, even if he is admittedly coming from a place of light-hearted humor - the kind that has been historically normalized by society and hence presumably doesn't come across as problematic to him, it is a pity because this situation could very well have been avoided through awareness and education. At the end of the day, this is all speculation because we will never really know the truth but it is undeniable that issues like queerbaiting cannot be swept under the rug anymore.

Are you watching "Boys Planet"? What do you think of this matter? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section down below!