Queerness in Kpop in 2026 - The Evolution of Queer Representation and Storytelling

Song Rae from the Black Girl Seoul podcast joins Mina to chitchat about NCT's 10 years in the industry!Groups mentioned:NCT UNCT 127NCT DreamWayVNCT WishSuperMRIIZEWe also discuss the members who have recently left either the group or SM Entertainment or both!

Mina rambles on about ATEEZ's newest song BAD from Golden Hour Part 5Online Atiny's reactions to BADLatin/US Fusion Pop Music from the 1990sK-Pop/Latin Fusion Music from the late 2010sSuper Junior's Lo SientoKARD (RIP)Getting into music genresDrumming and the perception of rhythm in different culturesThe chase and pure male idolRacism and Classism among kpop fansChase Infiniti for the win!Chase on Hey Tablo!Chase on MMTGHOW WAS THE SHOW - viral Atiny momentChase Infiniti being one of the best kpop fans (in Mina's opinion)

Mina is joined by K^2 after 4 years to discuss LGBTQIA+ representation in Kpop today.LINKS:DDing DongDding Dong - DonateK-Pop Star Holland Explains Why He Had To Come Out [British Vogue]K-pop singer Bain of Just B comes out during US concert [BBC]25 years apart, one fight: Queer icons on shattering Korea's closet [Korea Times]2AM's Jo Kwon Shares Thoughts On Gender And More [Soompi]Landmark ruling finds South Korea military illegally discharged a transgender soldier [NPR]OnlyOneOf evokes LGBTQ+ and Latin pride [AMNY]Discovering Love and Affirmation in OnlyOneOf [Fandomentals]'Genderless' K-pop band XLOV breaks boundaries by being themselves [Korea Joongang]XLOV’s WUMUTI on the group’s genderless concept [X]XLOV interview XG's Cocona Came Out as Nonbinary, and Fans Are Seeing Themselves in His Scars [teenvogue]XG changes name after a singer came out as transmasculine, nonbinary [OUT]Interview: JUSTB on Finding Their Unique Sound and Carving Their Space in the K-Pop Industry [Broadway World]“It’s Written On My Skin” The Ephemeral She As An Allegory For The Other Self: On Park Seonghwa Of ATEEZ’s “Skin” MV [Her Campus]

A fangirl yap about T.O.P., formerly of BIGBANG, and his new, independent album, Another Dimension! Mina goes through her fangirl journey of spending ten years wondering what the heck T.O.P. was up to after he enlisted (hint: he was in a little, obscure TV show). And a mini-review of BIGBANG at Coachella! Their set charmed newbies and left fans emotional. LINKS:Full set of links at www.kpopbookshelf.com/blog/ow3isg6ssflc42hj57bt2hhcy126y0

Mina & Ru look at the spate of deep fake photo and video sexual crimes that took over Korean middle schools, high schools, and universities in late 2024. The progression of online sex crimes in Korea over the last decade is discussed alongside the secondary victimization that occurs when the plight of victims is minimized or dismissed due to the images being faked. Celebrities, including K-pop idols and K drama actors are also affected by the impact of emerging technology on these situations, which is not at all unique to South Korea.Content warning of discussions of sexual assault and violence. Listener discretion is advised.LINKS: “My Life is Not Your Porn” Digital Sex Crimes in South Korea [Human Rights Watch]Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror [trailer for the documentary on Netflix]Inside the deepfake porn crisis engulfing Korean schools [BBC]On Telegram, countless chat rooms dedicated to degrading deepfakes of female acquaintances [Hankyoreh]Cho Ju-bin: South Korea chatroom sex abuse suspect named after outcry [BBC] Everything You Need to Know About the Nth Room Case in ‘Cyber Hell’ [Netflix] On Telegram, countless chat rooms dedicated to degrading deepfakes of female acquaintances [Hankyoreh]4 middle schoolers booked for producing deepfake porn of classmates [Korea Herald]South Korea crusades against online pornography [USA Today]Adolescents 80% of 474 suspects arrested for deepfake porn this year [Korea JoongAng Daily]In South Korea, deepfake porn wrecks women’s lives and deepens gender conflict [AP]UK iPhone users face over-18 age check to use services after update [Guardian]South Korea’s ‘world-first’ AI laws face pushback amid bid to become leading tech power [Guardian]

Kathy from @mia2k podcast joined Mina back in 2023 to discuss the book Y/N by Esther Yi.They did NOT anticipate the way this book would make them feel (spoiler alert - not great)!Kathy and Mina are clueless about fan fiction, apologies for their deep lack of knowledge! Some topics explored in this episode:The line between a fan's infatuation with their idol and actual love and affectionAgeism in Kpop FandomsHow chill of a friend BamBam from GOT7 would beThe tricky thing of trusting a stranger just because they, too, are a fellow fanA huge thanks to Kathy for making it through this book!

Mina explains where the K-Pop Bookshelf podcast has been after an absence of over a year! Hint: Fangirling got in the way!New episodes begin dropping soon!!https://www.kpopbookshelf.com/Instagram: @kpopbookshelf

Bonus Episode! My ATINY friend, Ru, and I reminisce about our trip to Coachella to see the first kpop boy group to play there, ATEEZ! We discuss our planning, our adventures in surviving people who don't know how to mosh, ATEEZ's career and their set on Weekend 1. We then go off on a tangent about ATEEZ's Towards the Light: Will to Power tour stop in NYC at Citi Field and our thoughts on Seonghwa's emotional ment. Then we get back on track about Coachella and contemplate whether we would ever go back again. TIMESTAMPS: -00:00:00-00:18:35 Intro, Basic info about Coachella, Background on ATEEZ -00:18:36-00:53:00-Coachella festival and planning -00:53:01-00:58:39 -Day 1 of Coachella -00:58:40-01:16:54- Content warning: Near crowd crush experience -01:17:00-01:19:18 - Coachella weather -01:19:19-01:36:46 - ATEEZ's set on weekend 1 -01:36:47-01:47:13 - Towards the Light in New York Citi Field and reaction to Seonghwa's ment -01:47:14-01:51:18 - After ATEEZ's set -01:51:19-01:54:18- Is ATEEZ behind us right now? -01:54:19-01:59:33 - Coachella Day 2 and Day 3 impressions (FLO, Taking Back Sunday, Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae, Bibi, Jackson Wang, Atarashi Gakko, Yoasobi, Number i, the Rose, and more) -01:59:34-end - Conclusion and would we go to Coachella again LINKS: ATEEZ in COACHELLA #1 | "Say My Name" https://youtu.be/QneendaO8U8?si=Iuo8efLFcCLWgyZB ATEEZ in COACHELLA #2 | "ARRIBA" https://youtu.be/tiFZsr6-pyw?si=Tvq4pgPJoIS3mGVq

Season 6 Episode 6 We look at the latest news surrounding Korean inter-country adoption, including the preliminary findings from Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission is investigating whether certain Korean inter-country adoptions were handled appropriately in response to questions filed by Korean adoptees. LINKS: South Korea's Adoption Reckoning (full documentary) | FRONTLINE + ‪AssociatedPress‬ [YouTube] South Korea was the world’s biggest ‘baby exporter.’ New evidence shows some mothers were forced to give up children [CNN] South Korea reveals new evidence of ‘violent and systemic’ forced adoption abroad [Guardian] South Korean truth commission says it found more evidence of forced adoptions in the 1980s [AP] Adoptees from Korea left ‘stateless’, and searching for their roots [Hankyoreh] Almost 10% of Korean adoptees may be stateless [The Korea Herald] South Korean adoption fraud rocks Denmark as victims demand answers [Daily Sabah] “We have a right to know our history”: Fraudulent records keep Korean adoptees from the truth [Hankyoreh] All records must be unsealed for Korean adoptees who want it, argue experts [Hankyoreh] Korean truth commission to investigate hundreds of possibly fraudulent overseas adoptions [Hankyoreh] Adoption agency found liable for human rights abuses for first time in S. Korea [Hankyoreh] Adam Crapser’s Bizarre Deportation Odyssey [The New York Times Magazine] Adam Crapser vs. Republic of Korea [The Korea Times] South Korea grants extension to truth commission as investigators examine foreign adoption cases [AP] Seoul Searching [ABC] Representatives Smith and Bacon and Senators Hirono and Collins Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Close Loophole and Grant Citizenship to International Adoptees [AdamSmith.house.gov] Congress Introduces the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2024 [Adoptees United] <a href="https://travel.state.gov/

Season 6 Episode 5 We cover the book Many Lives Intertwined by Hyun Sook Han Mrs. Han was a strong-willed, very honest social worker in both Korea and the United States as well as an adoptive mother. We will learn more about the Korean adoption process in the 1950s-1960s, including the adoption of mixed race Korean children, from the social worker perspective. LINKS Hyun Sook Han, Korean Social Worker and Adoption Pioneer, Dies at 83 [New York Times]