STORY: For gay uple So Sung- and Kim Yong-m, the ti might fally be turng a years-long fight for equal regnn South Korea for LGBTQ+ 32-year-old activists won a landmark Seoul urt lg last week, that will allow same-sex upl to claim equal spoal verage of the natnal health surance as heterosexual pair have been together sce they first met durg their natnal service a ago, but say their rights as a uple have been limed. “We are not regnized as fay by law South Korea, so we nnot receive registered mail or serve as regivers as a fay member at a hospal on each other’s behalf.”In South Korea, same-sex marriage is not legal and efforts to troduce an anti-discrimatn law face backlash om the Seoul High Court’s verdict has been hailed as a step towards marriage equaly by human rights uple had managed to secure natnal health surance verage for So as a pennt based on his partnership wh when lol media drew attentn to the uple's story, thori backtracked and revoked So's verage, claimg the approval had been an admistrative sparked a two-year legal battle, as So cid to sue the health service. They ially lost a lol admistrative urt, but prevailed when the Seoul High Court last week changed urse and affirmed his right to verage.“I see this lg not jt as a one-off w but as a sign that we are startg to w. That love has won.”“The lg as a rare step forward at a time when people have been feelg tired of not seeg much progrs for que a while. We are very happy and the LGBT muny seems to be a cheerful mood.”The uple says the untry has been slow makg stris for LGBTQ rights due to actn by policians. Anti-discrimatn bills have been proposed but lawmakers have failed to move forward wh legislatn spe public support and cricism.“It is a polician's job to make society a more equal and better place to live, not jt s back and wa for society to change.”South Korea's health service said a statement would nduct a legal review to ci whether to challenge the latt urt cisn before the Supreme Court.
Contents:
- SOUTH KOREA’S GAY UPL FIGHT FOR REGNN, ONE LAW AT A TIME
- GAY SOUTH KOREA: 'SHE SAID I DON'T NEED A SON LIKE YOU'
- SOUTH KOREAN URT GRANTS GAY UPLE HEALTH BENEFS LANDMARK LG
- IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
- GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA
- SOUTH KOREAN GAY UPLE SE URT W AS BREAKTHROUGH FOR EQUALY
- GAY S. KOREAN UPLE SE BREAKTHROUGH FOR EQUALY
- SOUTH KOREAN URT REJECTS GAY UPLE’S BID FOR EQUAL HEALTHRE BENEFS: ‘LOVE WILL EVENTUALLY W’
- GAY SOUTH KOREAN UPLE LOSE EQUAL VERAGE LAWSU AGAST HEALTH SURER
- 11 K-DRAMAS THAT DIDN'T SHY AWAY OM GAY RELATNSHIPS
- KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
SOUTH KOREA’S GAY UPL FIGHT FOR REGNN, ONE LAW AT A TIME
Livg gay South Korea is mostly hidn clubs and bars, pigeon-holed off to late dancg or drkg wh iends, far om bs. * gay couple in korea *
” But neher of their same-sex unns is legally regnized South this socially nservative society where homosexualy remas a taboo, the upl are part of a vanguard nontg rampant discrimatn agast the LGBTQ muny. ”For a uple navigatg the narrow boundari of South Korean law, a recent judicial cisn — brought about by So and Kim — is a source of Seoul High Court Febary orred the Natnal Health Insurance Service to provi spoal verage to gay upl after So and Kim, both 32, sued the pair started llg each other “hband” after their weddg ceremony 2019, and Kim listed his “spoe” as his pennt on his health surance. Homophobia remas rampant South Korea, the world’s 10th-largt enomy, bee of entrenched genr norms and social nservatism, experts say.
Taiwan is the only place the regn wh marriage even this environment, South Korea’s vocifero evangelil Christian groups make the homophobia particularly loud.
GAY SOUTH KOREA: 'SHE SAID I DON'T NEED A SON LIKE YOU'
For So Sung- and Kim Yong-m, who last week won a landmark Seoul urt lg on natnal health verage for gay upl, the ti may fally be turng their years-long stggle for equal regnn South Korea for LGBT partnerships. * gay couple in korea *
South Korean Print Yoon S Yeol, elected last year on an anti-femist platform, appoted Kim Seong-hoe, who had prevly lled homosexualy a “type of mental illns, ” to a top advisory role. Kim had also said that “homosexualy n be treated” — like a smokg didn’t rema long the job, but even when standg down, he mataed that he is “personally opposed to homosexualy.
Homophobic abe and stigmatizatn are still rampant across South Korea’s armed forc, which all able-bodied men mt serve a mimum of 18 months unr the nscriptn fact, So and Kim met durg their ary service.
“Love triumphs” even the most unlikely environment, Kim their openly gay life has not been easy, “ is a path we chose to live happily and tthfully, ” So trailblazg pair say they are empowered by support om members and alli of South Korea’s LGBTQ muny, cludg for legal, together wh their advot, hope that they n chip away at unfair systems to get greater rights and regnn for their relatnship and others. An activist holds up a rabow-lored fan and a South Korean natnal flag as gay pri ftival participants face Christians opposed to homosexualy central Seoul, South Korea, June 28, 2015. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Christian anti-LGBT protters are makg their prence felt at gay events like here SeoulHe proudly showed me his T-shirt wh a special rabow logo on , one that lls for an anti-discrimatn law.
SOUTH KOREAN URT GRANTS GAY UPLE HEALTH BENEFS LANDMARK LG
LGBT Rights South Korea: homosexualy, gay marriage, gay adoptn, servg the ary, sexual orientatn discrimatn protectn, changg legal genr, donatg blood, age of nsent, and more. * gay couple in korea *
Homosexualy may not be illegal South Korea - sce 2003 is no longer classified as "harmful and obscene" - but discrimatn remas wispread. Jt unr half of South Koreans don't want a gay iend, neighbour or lleague, acrdg to one natnwi survey by The Korea Social Integratn ptn, Why holidays n be tough for S Korea's LGBT munyThe proportn of gay and lbian teenagers who have been exposed to vlence is also high.
He was alone a park late at night when he was approached by a man who told him homosexualy was an unfiveable s and he should return home to his parents, before beatg him wh a bamboo stick. The Prottant Christian Communy is so ncerned that homosexualy will be accepted South Korea that has cid to hold s first "real love" event Ban - jt a month after the Queer Ftival anisers were forced to ncel their own event the cy. In a statement to the BBC, they said LGBTQ people were "uhil and abnormal" so their discrimatn was "the right kd of discrimatn" ptn, Menorah said she felt a rponsibily to stop LGBTQ people "om gog to hell"In September, this fluential church group turned up at the Queer Ftival Incheon, South Korea's send biggt cy, their waved paper fans which said NO to homosexualy and YES to "real love".
IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
* gay couple in korea *
A huge screen was placed near the Queer Ftival square blastg a warng vio claimg that enuragg homosexualy would spread Aids and st tax payers lns. Meanwhile, Japan has elected s first openly gay lawmaker, and spe the current polil opposn, a survey found that 78% of people aged 20 to 60 favoured legalizg same-sex marriage. Holland is not the first known LGBT K-pop idol, but you n say that this new generatn of K-pop, he's one of the first idols who admted that he's gay.
He ially me out as gay 2015, and upon g Korea, his iends told him to keep his sexualy secret - but he's proud of his inty, makg him the first Korean artist who is openly gay.
GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA
11 K-Dramas that didn't shy away om gay relatnships * gay couple in korea *
There, homosexual sex is not banned, but is illegal the ary, where almost all men mt plete a stt of pulsory nscriptn.
“It’s kd of sad, ” said Jungm Kwon, an amic who wrote a book lled “Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasi.
SOUTH KOREAN GAY UPLE SE URT W AS BREAKTHROUGH FOR EQUALY
“On the one hand looks like the dtry is very open md to shippg culture, ” she told CNN, referrg to the culture among fans of imagg relatnships between their favore stars – cludg gay relatnships.
Acrdg to Kwon, fans were spired by “yaoi” – a kd of Japane manga that featur gay relatnships between male upl – and began makg up stori about their favore stars.
GAY S. KOREAN UPLE SE BREAKTHROUGH FOR EQUALY
Even now, K-pop labels sometim cultivate idols’ homoerotic appeal the hop that mak them more popular fanfictn, where Kwon timat 80% of stori volve gay story l.
SOUTH KOREAN URT REJECTS GAY UPLE’S BID FOR EQUAL HEALTHRE BENEFS: ‘LOVE WILL EVENTUALLY W’
After Hong me out publicly as gay 2000, he was fired om his hostg job and lost other work – and thor Kwon believ that harsh rponse has disuraged others om followg su. In the absence of nfirmatn, mentators have ed small, clive clu to speculate on their stance, for example, the time the band’s lear RM tweeted Macklemore’s song “Same Love, ” which promot equal rights for gay people.
Along wh the chang merce have e alteratns human behavr and attus, cludg a recent softeng toward homosexualy by means of high tech munitn and age-old drama. Mostly hidn clubs and bars, pigeon-holed off to late dancg or drkg wh iends and stashed far om fay bs, gay Koreans live wh a very strong heterosexual tradn that clus more than jt the expectatns of takg a spoe.
GAY SOUTH KOREAN UPLE LOSE EQUAL VERAGE LAWSU AGAST HEALTH SURER
Except for one major difference: his tentn of studyg the USA is equally, if not more, motivated by his need to breathe valy to his emotnal life as a gay man.
There are no gay paras here yet but a few gay anizatns have formed such as Kirikiri and Sappho (lbian groups), Chgai (gay men’s group) and the Coaln of Stunt Gay Rights Groups.
11 K-DRAMAS THAT DIDN'T SHY AWAY OM GAY RELATNSHIPS
More visibly and much more popular, gays and lbians are workg on the Inter and gettg a life–chattg, arrangg iendships and anizg activi.
KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
Jt before I left for Seoul, I typed “Korea gay” to a search enge and was nnected to the Korean BB room where an active list of notic had been recently posted. The gay cyber-muny Asia is burstg out of the closet and crowdg to chat rooms, bullet boards, Yahoo/eGroups and specific web pag.
At Gay Korea (), for example, a surfer is greeted wh the followg upbeat msage om the creative and bold se owner:. This web page is for Korean gays and foreigners who want to meet Korean iends, vis Korea, or jt know more about Korea.