South Korea is in fact a very culturally conservative country. In accordance with a dominant Confucian background, it is a nation where respect for adults and humbleness is the basic manner in living. Being so conservative, Korea has also been unaccepting of what are considered progressive values. Social disapproval for sexual minorities is still prevalent throughout the population, and the recent scene cut-off in the broadcast of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody became the center of controversy.

Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), a South Korean broadcast center, provided its viewers with a screening of Bohemian Rhapsody at 8:40 P.M. on February 13. Freddie Mercury, the protagonist and the lead vocal for the legendary rock band Queen, is a bisexual man in love with a man named Jim Hutton. Therefore, naturally, Bohemian Rhapsody draws his life with Hutton as well as his successful music career. What caught the eyes of the public was the crude absence of the scene between Mercury and Hutton kissing, which brought up an underlying issue: the erasure of sexual minorities.

The public criticized SBS for cutting out the scene, which showed ignorance towards the group. As the incident continued to gnaw at SBS, the station made an official statement: “We had no intention of going against homosexuality. However, we just thought the scene would be inappropriate for a PG13 audience.” The mistake in their proclamation was that, as a national broadcaster, they publicly ignored the existence of sexual minorities and treated their romantic behavior as something to be censored. Moreover, SBS believed it could be “awkward” for families to watch it all together. A South Korean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) group named Rainbow Action regarded this act as an “insult to not only the deceased (Mercury) but also all sexual minorities.”

The incident was a debate in foreign media as well. Out Magazine, an American LGBTQ publication, bluntly proposed on Instagram, “Not this again,” regarding the dismissal of the scenes. They then quoted Rainbow Action stating, “The attitude of dismissing both the story and scenes of sexual minorities as violent or sensational is nothing more than censorship that shows hatred and discrimination against them.” The post not only caught the attention of the public, but also was strong enough to have public figures such as Adam Lambert, one of the guest vocalists who participated for some of Queen’s songs, comment, “The double standard is real.”

Failing to acknowledge that over 10 million people enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody at the cinemas in its complete form and abandoning one’s love story and critical part of the plot just because it violates the norm only explains the double standard of the Korean community. Rating content as PG13 is because it includes violent or sexual depictions that is not appropriate for children to watch. The interaction between the two men was not a taboo, and it was as if the broadcaster looked upon the scene as a more violent and sensual visual.

South Korea is currently in transition. Such an event is inevitably commonplace in the present day, with the coexistence of modern youngsters, who are more welcoming of newer values, and older generations, who still insist that conservative ideals be preserved. Although it may be too hasty to put full responsibility on SBS, it is indisputable that Korea must let down its closed culture and become more open.