#young moon

Stella was the character I was most excited to learn about when XO, Kitty’s new cast additions were announced. According to her character description, Stella (named Sophie at the time) was to be a religious Christian Korean-American teenager.

As Korean entertainment has spread worldwide, so too has awareness of many social issues: the country’s rampant misogyny, severe wealth inequality, and deeply ingrained colorism. But despite the prominence of Protestant Christianity in the country and diaspora, there is not as much discussion among Western k-pop/k-drama fans about its influence on Korean culture. 

A quick overview: 20% of Koreans identify as Protestant Christians, making this the most popular religion in the country. This is an incredibly high percentage for East Asia. (For comparison: around 7-9% in China, and a little over 1% in Japan.) 33% of US Americans identify as Protestant Christians. 

Protestant Christianity is even more prominent amongst Korean Americans, with the majority identifying as such. Compared to other Asian Americans — and indeed Americans — Korean American Protestants are more likely to hold very literal interpretations of the Bible. As a result, their churches adopt a very authoritative, conservative, patriarchal structure, even more so than the average American church. Among Asian Americans, Korean church culture is notorious for extensive emotional abuse towards congregations and even clergy. However, many continue to attend church because, for them, going to church means being part of a Korean community and adopting Korean values despite the fact that Christianity only became common in Korea after its post-WWII westernization. Leaving the community is nigh unthinkable, and those who succeed are met with ostraciziation, especially if born and raised in the church.

Now, of course, XO, Kitty is a fun teenage romcom. I’ve never expected it to provide thorough commentary on every issue with Korean society. However, Season 1 surprised me with how the writers integrated realistic social problems into the plot. Yuri’s coming-out arc shows how queer Koreans face danger and disownment from familial homophobia. Dae’s financial struggles while attending a prestigious school parallels those of many impoverished Koreans surrounded by inaccessible wealth. Jina's mystery son touched upon the stigma Koreans hold against teenage pregnancies. The story isn’t about solving these issues entirely, but it shows the effect they might have on real-life people.

With such great examples of past issues, I felt that Stella’s future was promising. However, a few episodes into XO, Kitty, it became clear that Stella’s religious background would have no impact on her character, except to make her seem slightly out-of-place or creepy. 

But it gets worse. There are hints that Stella has been hurt by the church, or at least that she’s rejected it. In the brief moments she speaks with her family and youth group members, it’s implied she’s gone no-contact. For the majority of Korean Americans, rejection of the church is not just a difference in faith, but a complete rejection of the community. Leaving is very rarely a peaceful affair. Stella seems to harbor resentment towards the faith as well, telling Minho in a rare moment of honesty: “God can’t fix everything.”

We find out halfway through the season that Stella is secretly a vengeful, angry person. But her fall from grace doesn’t actually end up having anything to do with the church: it has to do with the humiliation Mr. Moon put her through when she competed in one of his television shows. Since it is so common for Korean Americans who leave the church to suffer deep religious trauma and be villainized by the community, it feels incredibly insensitive to portray Stella as someone cartoonishly evil. XO, Kitty suggests that it is not the church that drives people away, but external factors that cause them to hate the church and run from it — a narrative that conservative churches have historically pushed on their congregations.

At the end of the day, it’s Stella that is punished. And the one who hurt her and dozens of other young girls — Mr. Moon — gets off scot-free. A man who abused his enormous wealth and power for years gets redemption and a fresh start while Stella is once again humiliated and empty-handed. She is written off as insane, bitter, and self-obsessed: all descriptors churches use to shame those who leave. Adding insult to injury, Mr. Moon tells Stella that he hopes “you have people at home who care about you”, implying that if she returns to the church, she will find healing. It’s a cold, ill-informed line that brushes aside the religious trauma that so many Korean Americans face.