Popular transgender model Choi Han Bit debuted as a K-pop idol this week.
Choi, who appeared on "Korea's Next Top Model, Cycle 3" in 2012, is one of the three members of Mercury. The group released their first song, "Don't Stop" on Monday in South Korea.
"Don't Stop" is a thumping electro-dance song produced by OTHANKQ.
Hyena and Sehee are the other two members of Mercury. The concept of the girl group is that they are all singers with model-like bodies.
Choi has previous experience as a singer and performer, positioning her as a K-pop star. She released a solo album in 2015 titled "Not My Style" and studied Korean traditional dance in college.
Han Bit isn't the first transgender K-pop idol. Harisu (Lee Kyung Eun) is upheld the first groundbreaking transgender Korean celebrity. In 2001, Harisu burst to fame after appearing in a commercial for DoDo cosmetics. She released several albums and also has appeared in multiple television dramas and films.
Meanwhile, a transgender K-pop group known as Lady was active between 2005 and 2007.
Mercury debuted on March 7.
Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey and Paste Magazine.
