Leiden University Student Repository

Visser, Merel (2024)

Exploring Korean Boys’ Love Webtoons: A Critical Analysis of the Depiction of Homosexual Characters in South-Korea

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This thesis examines the representation of homosexuality in Korean webtoons, and answers the question: How has homosexuality been represented in Korean Boys’ Love webtoons from 2019-2022? In order to answer this question, the thesis uses content- and critical discourse analysis of three Korean webtoons that are part of the Boys' Love genre. Based on this, it concludes that Korean Boys’ Love webtoons largely represent homosexuality in a heteronormative, glorified and sexualized manner.

LGBTQ+

Boys' Love

Webtoons

Stereotypical Representation

South-Korea

Author

Visser, Merel

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

East-Asia, Korean

Supervisors

Lin, F.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en