Being gay in korea

South Korea's LGBTQ community confronts crushing headwinds in fight for equality

NBC News spoke with South Korean lawmakers, human rights organizations and dozens of LGBTQ South Koreans in three of the country’s largest cities: Seoul, Daegu and Busan. Most say a bill that would outlaw discrimination against all minority groups — including the LGBTQ community — is the critical first step toward legal equality.

In , former President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration helped draft South Korea’s first comprehensive nondiscrimination bill, but conservative groups prefer the Congressional Missionary Coalition immediately objected to its inclusion of “sexual orientation.” One petition sent to the Ministry of Justice prophesied, without any evidence, that “homosexuals will try to seduce everyone” if the bill were to become law.

Lawmakers have since proposed eight comprehensive nondiscrimination bills, but the country’s conservative president and legislators, as well as its powerful Christian lobbies, all but doom such bills in the Assembly, even though a majority of the public (57%) su


Opinion South Korea’s hostility to LGBT issues is a blunder to uphold basic human rights The ROK is out of step with its Western peers even Asian neighbors and must reflect on how it treats sexual minorities Philip TurnerMarch 19, Rainbow flags are flown by the crowd during the Jeju Gender non-conforming Culture Festival in \| Image: Justice Party LGBT Committee via Twitter South Korea’s head-in-the-sand approach to LGBT rights is a stark human rights failure. It is glaringly inconsistent with President Yoon Suk-yeol’s promise to human rights globally and out of step with its Western peers. Now, even its Asian neighbors are leaving it behind. During my five years in South Korea as an ambassador, I encountered many LGBT Koreans: men and women, young and old, business people, diplomats, professors and homemakers. Nearly all felt forced to hide their sexuality, their partners and their real selves. South Korea’s head-in-the-sand approach to LGBT rights is a stark human rights failure. It is glaringly inconsistent with President Yoon Suk Written by: Clara Delhaye Translated by: Lou Szabo At the end of February , the Seoul High Court handed down a landmark ruling on marriage for all. The court established that same-sex couples should enjoy the same health insurance rights as heterosexual couples. In this case, two men, having had a symbolic marriage, can boon from each other’s health insurance scheme. According to the court, if this is not the case it constitutes discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, the national health insurance fund is appealing to the Supreme Court, as it considers that it has not breached the rule of equality. How does the issue of marriage and same-sex relationships display the growing separate in South Korea? The legal and political lack of interest regarding the issue of marriage for all in South Korea In South Korea, same-gender relations are not criminalized, i.e., homosexuality is not punished. However, there is one exception: according to article of the Korean Military Code, “Any person who engages in anal intercourse (…) or any other indecent operate is liable t Gay in South Korea: 'She said I don't require a son like you' The proportion of gay and lesbian teenagers who contain been exposed to hostility is also high. A poll by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea found that 92% of LGBTQ people were worried about becoming the target of hate crimes. Kim Wook-suk knows this all too well. His mother, he says, kept trying to "save him", but her actions meant he feared his control family at times. "Using her church people, she tried to kidnap me multiple times to go through conversion therapy. I was forced to go through some of these therapies, however there were times I manage to escape them and escaped." Kim was always looking over his shoulder. He was alone in a park late at night when he was approached by a man who told him homosexuality was an unforgiveable sin and he should return home to his parents, before beating him with a bamboo stick. He believes his own mother may possess ordered the assault as a form of "shock therapy". "Establishing an anti-discrimination commandment will send a messag Gay saunas in new york Gay charts Gay amater Gay sauna nearby Ist david in schitts creek gay gay Copyright ©beerstab.pages.dev 2025 TOP

Opinion

South Korea’s hostility to LGBT issues is a blunder to uphold basic human rights

The ROK is out of step with its Western peers even Asian neighbors and must reflect on how it treats sexual minorities

Philip TurnerMarch 19,

Rainbow flags are flown by the crowd during the Jeju Gender non-conforming Culture Festival in | Image: Justice Party LGBT Committee via Twitter

South Korea’s head-in-the-sand approach to LGBT rights is a stark human rights failure. It is glaringly inconsistent with President Yoon Suk-yeol’s promise to human rights globally and out of step with its Western peers. Now, even its Asian neighbors are leaving it behind.

During my five years in South Korea as an ambassador, I encountered many LGBT Koreans: men and women, young and old, business people, diplomats, professors and homemakers. Nearly all felt forced to hide their sexuality, their partners and their real selves.

South Korea’s head-in-the-sand approach to LGBT rights is a stark human rights failure. It is glaringly inconsistent with President Yoon Suk

Written by: Clara Delhaye
Translated by: Lou Szabo

At the end of February , the Seoul High Court handed down a landmark ruling on marriage for all. The court established that same-sex couples should enjoy the same health insurance rights as heterosexual couples. In this case, two men, having had a symbolic marriage, can boon from each other’s health insurance scheme. According to the court, if this is not the case it constitutes discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, the national health insurance fund is appealing to the Supreme Court, as it considers that it has not breached the rule of equality. How does the issue of marriage and same-sex relationships display the growing separate in South Korea?

The legal and political lack of interest regarding the issue of marriage for all in South Korea

In South Korea, same-gender relations are not criminalized, i.e., homosexuality is not punished. However, there is one exception: according to article of the Korean Military Code, “Any person who engages in anal intercourse (…) or any other indecent operate is liable t

Gay in South Korea: 'She said I don't require a son like you'

The proportion of gay and lesbian teenagers who contain been exposed to hostility is also high. A poll by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea found that 92% of LGBTQ people were worried about becoming the target of hate crimes.

Kim Wook-suk knows this all too well. His mother, he says, kept trying to "save him", but her actions meant he feared his control family at times.

"Using her church people, she tried to kidnap me multiple times to go through conversion therapy. I was forced to go through some of these therapies, however there were times I manage to escape them and escaped."

Kim was always looking over his shoulder. He was alone in a park late at night when he was approached by a man who told him homosexuality was an unforgiveable sin and he should return home to his parents, before beating him with a bamboo stick.

He believes his own mother may possess ordered the assault as a form of "shock therapy".

"Establishing an anti-discrimination commandment will send a messag