Fun Fast Facts:
Updated: 17 Feb 2014 (Homosexuality legal, yet still taboo)
- Male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Korea although homosexuality is not specifically mentioned in either the South Korean Constitution or Civil Penal Code.
- King Mokjong (980-1009) and King Gongmin (1325–1374) are both on record as having kept several wonchung (“male lovers”) in their courts as “little-brother attendants” (chajewhi) who served as sexual partners.
- In 2010, the soap opera Life is Beautiful premiered on SBS broadcast TV, becoming the first prime-time drama to explore a gay male couple’s relationship.
- Despite not being legally recognised, movie director Kim Jho Gwang-soo and his partner Kim Seung-hwan became the first South Korean gay couple to publicly wed in 2013.
- Military service is mandatory for all male citizens in South Korea. The “psychology test” at entry includes questions regarding the enlistee’s sexual preferences and homosexual military members can be dishonourably discharged which brings social pressures and can impact future employment opportunities.
- Homosexuality remains largely taboo in South Korean society. Gay clubs maintain low visibility and are concentrated in areas such as Seoul’s historic Jongno or Itaewon (known as “Homo-hill”).
Updated: 28 Nov 2011 (Mainstream press embraces homophobia)
- 2001 first LGBT pride parade.
- LGBT relationships not recognised.
- Same-sex marriage not allowed.
- Gay couples cannot adopt.
- Cannot be gay and serve in the Korean military.
Homosexuality legal, yet still taboo
Broadcast: 17 Feb 2014
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: Queer Koreans Alliance
- An alliance of organisations devoted to supporting lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and queer people (LGBTQ) in Korea and Korean-American communities. They fight against a lack of visible allies for LGBTQ people of Korean descent and the rise of homophobia, especially within Christian circles.
- The alliance includes Christian Solidarity for a World Without Discrimination, Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea, Sumdol Presbyterian Church, Dari Project, Open Doors Community Church and the Asian Women Center.
- Queer Koreans Alliance provides a multi-lingual website with news, resources and stories to assist LGBTQ people of Korean descent.
W3JOY interviewed: Kalvin, South Korean born Melburnian
“There are quite a lot of homophobics, especially from family members and friends – they don’t actually accept it. But our society has become more open, more into gay people…it’s been slow.”
“All South Korean guys or boys, they have to live their own life pretty much for their families.”
“My parents say ‘Is there any lovely girls around you’ or ‘you’re getting older, you’re getting (to) 30′. Age 30 is pretty much the time Korean guys get married and form a family.”
“I have two types of groups – one is gay friends and the other is straight friends and I’ve actually never thought about coming out to my straight friends cos I’m scared of getting a bad reaction from them firstly, and then I don’t want to get treated differently – cos like this is who I am.”
“I have to pretend to be straight guy when I catch up with my Korean friends and just talk about girls and like straight stuff. I gotta be more masculine for sure.”
“There is actually a pretty big suburb called Itaewon. It’s where the U.S. Army base is. And there’s a little street called ‘Homo Hill’ and there are 5 or 6 gay nightclubs or bars. (The gay bars) are really small, really tiny…and packed. It’s not like nightclubs in Melbourne or Sydney.”
Listen to the podcast
Mainstream press embraces homophobia
Broadcast: 28 Nov 2011
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: Chingusai
- Chingusai means “between friends”.
- Formed in 1994, oldest group in South Korea.
- Separate group for gay men and lesbians.
- Advocacy group fighting against discrimination against gay men.
- Produce independent movies.
W3JOY interviewed: Joseph Kim (pseudonym) of Chingusai
“This current administration has been extremely homophobic and anti-human rights. Even before he was elected as President, as the mayor of Seoul with an interview with major newspapers, he said ‘Gay people are not normal’.”
“The major mainstream press has been kissing up to this administration and so they have been more noticeably homophobic and discriminatory as well.”
“When we had our first pride parade in 2001, that was a very shocking event for Korean society.”
“The public perception has become more and more favourable. In the early years, people used to frown at us, or you might have people hurling obscenities at us. But now accidental observers actually join our parade.”
“We do not have government funds or support.”
“Due to our [Chingusai’s] efforts, the National Human Rights Commission Act actually includes a clause that says, “people may not be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation.”
“The conservative and major newspapers have been noticeably and openly homophobic in the last 3-4 years.”
“The rise of outright homophobic Christian right is a very troublesome phenomenon in South Korea in the last several years.”