A popular K-pop singer has come out as transgender.
South Korean idol Cherry declared she was transgender in an Instagram Live earlier this summer, in a huge moment for trans visibility for the country.
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“This isn’t a hobby, it’s my life. I’m trans,” she said. “Because I wasn’t an ordinary person, I couldn’t reveal everything from the start. My goal was to take it slow. I’m just going with my goal.”
Cherry originally rose to fame on the 2016 reality series Boys24, where contestants competed for a slot in the boy band of the same name. She was eliminated, but later became a member of K-pop group JWiiver, where she performed under the stage name Ryujei. The group released one album before disbanding in 2024.
In a follow-up Instagram post, she thanked her fans across the globe “for your support and love.”
“I’ll live my second life happier,” she said. “I would appreciate it if you continue to love and support us.”
Support for the LGBTQ+ community is still very low in South Korea, although there has been progress in recent years. For example, the last two seasons of Netflix’s Squid Game featured a transgender woman character, and Just B singer Bain made headlines earlier this year when he became the first K-pop singer to come out.
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