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LGBT history in South Korea

The modern South Korean LGBT rights movement arose in the 1990s, with several small organizations seeking to combat sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

Early history edit

Although there is very little mention of homosexuality in Korean literature or traditional historical accounts, several members of nobility and Buddhist monks have been known to either profess their attraction to members of the same sex or else be actively involved with them.[1] The earliest such recorded example might be that of King Hyegong, the 36th ruler of the Silla Dynasty who was killed at the age of 22 by his noblemen who revolted in protest of his "femininity".[2][3]

King Mokjong (980-1009) and King Gongmin (1325–1374) of Goryeo are both on record as having kept several wonchung ("male lovers") in their courts as “little-brother attendants” (chajewhi) who served as sexual partners. After the death of his wife, King Gongmin even went so far as to create a ministry whose sole purpose was to seek out and recruit young men from all over the country to serve in his court.[2] By contrast, Royal Noble Consort Sun, second consort to the then Joseon crown prince, was ejected from the palace and demoted to commoner status for having had sexual relations with one of her ladies maids.[4]

Hwarang was the most overt form of same-sex relationships in ancient Korea.[5] The sexual prowess of the hwarang were recorded in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, through pieces of Silla poetry such as Changipalang-ga (찬기파랑가), Mojugjilang-ga (모죽지랑가), and Ch'oyong-ga (처용가).[5] During the Goryeo dynasty, same-sex sexual activity was not explicitly prohibited.[5] During the Joseon Dynasty, however, Korean society experienced a draconian shift as the neo-Confucian elite and scholars declared homosexuality wicked and depraved, forcing homosexual activity to go underground and in secrecy.[5]

Evidence of homosexual activities among the common people are harder to find as there are fewer records pertaining to them. Common people were less likely to be literate with writing and less likely to have their records preserved.

During the Joseon Era before the Japanese annexation there were travelling theater groups known as namsadang which included underaged males called midong (beautiful boys). The troupes provided "various types of entertainment, including band music, song, masked dance, circus, and puppet plays," sometimes with graphic representations of same-sex intercourse.[2]

Recent history in South Korea edit

Some of these organizations also work to prevent the spread of AIDS-HIV. Among the active organizations are;

  • Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea
  • Chingusai
  • Korean Sexual-Minority Culture and Rights Center (KSCRC)
  • Lesbian and Gay Alliance Against Discrimination in Korea (LGAAD Korea)
  • Lesbian Counseling Center in S. Korea (Kirikiri)
  • Beyond The Rainbow Foundation
  • Parents and Families of LGBTAIQ People in Korea

One of the first legal victories of these organizations came in 2003, when the Korean National Human Rights Protection Committee formally advised the Korea's Youth Protection Committee to remove homophobic language from the Youth Protection Act of 1997, that had been used to justify the government harassment and censorship of LGBT South Korean film festivals and webpages.[6]

In the Anti-discrimination Act introduced in 2007 by The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea, the section prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation has been withdrawn, following outrages from conservative Christian organisations.

While there are no federal laws against LGBT discrimination, various municipalities such as Seoul and Jeju have enacted their own ordinances against it.[7]

In March 2015, the Ministry of Education enacted a new set of rules prohibiting the teaching of homosexuality or any other non-normative sexual orientations in sex education curricula.[8]

Timeline of recent LGBT activism in South Korea edit

  • 1993.12. Formation of South Korea's pioneer queer rights organization, Ch'odonghwe 초동회 (composed of three gay men and three lesbians) which later split into Chingusai and Kirikiri
  • 1994.2. Dissolution of Ch'odonghoe 초동회
  • 1994. Formation of two organizations: Chingusai 친구사이 (Between Friends) for gay men and KiriKiri 끼리끼리 for lesbians
  • 1995. Online communication promotes further contact among LGBTQ communities. Proliferation of LGBTQ affinity/rights groups following the launch of LGBTQ organizations at Seoul National University and Yonsei University
  • 1996. First lesbian bar (Lesbos) opens.[9] Airing of “Gina Song Report”
  • 1997. Korean Queer Film Festival is held for the first time. The first mass gathering of LGBTQ individuals, accompanied by the formation of “Union of College Lesbians and Gays” (Daedongin), which became Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea (Dong'illyŏn) later. First demonstrations for gay rights as an independent issue
  • 1998. Launch of Buddy, Korea's first national gay-interest magazine. Key members of Buddy later establish the Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center (KSCRC) in 2003
  • 1999. Growth of internet social networking sites (e.g. X-Zone, Hwa-rang, Tgnet..)
  • 2000. in Seoul, Queer Culture Festival is held for the first time.[10] Korean celebrity Hong Seok Cheon comes out[11]
  • 2001. Debut of entertainer Harisu, a transgender woman.[12] Passage of the first National Human Rights Commission Act to include the term “sexual orientation”
  • 2002. Controversy over the closure of X Zone by the Information Communication Ethics Committee
  • 2003. The National Human Rights Commission recommends the removal of homophobic language in the Youth Protection Act. Yook Woo Dang, a youth member of Dong'illyŏn, commits suicide in the office.
  • 2004. The Youth Protection Act Enforcement Decree removes homophobic language (the first of several revised statutes related to gay rights). The Korea Democratic Labor Party becomes the first national political body to establish an internal committee for LGBTQ issues.
  • 2005. Project L(esbian) opens at Konkuk University. It was the first exhibition organized by openly bisexual women and lesbian artists in South Korea.
  • 2006. Drafting of transgender sex change legislation joint solidarity. Proposal of special law initiative for sex change of transgender. Supreme Court approves sex change of transgender.
  • 2007.10. A struggle begins in response to the section in the Anti-Discrimination Act prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. The identity of bigotry is manifested.
  • 2008. Choi Hyun Sook runs as the first openly lesbian candidate in the Korean general election. Formation of “Rainbow Action,” a coalition of LGBT organizations of Korea. First LGBT Human Rights Forum is held.
  • 2010. “Life is Beautiful (ko: 인생은 아름다워)” a television drama containing the story of a gay couple, is nationally broadcast.
  • 2011. Outbreak of hate crimes in Jongno. "Rainbow Action" stages a sit-in at the city council offices. The deadlock surrounding the attempt to pass the Ordinance for Student Rights in Seoul without including sexual orientation and gender identity among its protections resolves, and the Ordinance for Student Rights in Seoul passes.
  • 2012. LGBTQ banners are banned by the local government of Mapo-gu, causing controversy.
  • 2013. For the first time, transgender individuals can legally change their gender without gender reassignment surgery. The Democratic Party withdraws its Anti-Discrimination Act. Min Hong-Cheol, a Democratic Party member of the National Assembly, pushes for a retrogressive revision of the Military Criminal Law, which criminalizes even consensual sexual relationships in army.
  • 2013. Movie director Kim Jho Kwang-soo and his partner Kim Seung-hwan become the first South Korean gay couple to publicly wed, although it is not a legally recognized marriage.[13]
  • 2014. Queer activists occupy the Seoul City Hall in protest.[14]
  • 2017. The Supreme Court ordered the government to allow "Beyond the Rainbow", an LGBT rights foundation, to register as a charity with the Ministry of Justice.[15]
  • 2018. Openly transgender Kim Ki-hong ran for the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council and failed.[16] Beyond The Rainbow Foundation, Korea's first incorporated sexual minority human rights organization, was registered.[17]
  • 2019. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency granted permission to the Seoul Queer Culture Festival to host a parade within city limits, despite there being police concerns over threats and violence from counter-protestors.[18] This contrasts with the agency's handling of the festival in 2015, in which they had denied permission to the parade amid concerns of traffic disruptions and violent counter-protests.[19] The openly lesbian Kim Gyu-Jin married her partner.[20] The female queer movie, "Moonlit Winter", was released and won the Queer Camellia prize at the Queer Camellia Award.[21][22]
  • 2020. Kim Gyu-Jin and her partner filed a marriage registration with the Jongno-Gu Office but received the notice of non-repair.[23]
  • 2021. South Korea's first transgender soldier named Byun, who was forcibly discharged after having gender reassignment surgery, was found dead. The defence ministry classified her loss of male genitals as a mental or physical handicap, and a military panel ruled in early 2020 that she would be compulsorily discharged.[24]
  • 2023. The Seoul High Court sided with a same-sex couple, who had filed a lawsuit against the National Health Insurance Service in 2021 after being denied spousal insurance benefits. The initial ruling by a lower court favored the insurer on the grounds that a same-sex union could not be considered a common law marriage under the current law.[25]

Political representation edit

South Korean political parties tend to avoid formally addressing LGBT rights issues, as do most of the elected politicians. A major exception would be the Democratic Labour Party.

The Democratic Labour Party (Korean: 민주노동당), established in January 2000, is the third-largest political party in South Korea and has a political panel known as the Sexual Minorities Committee (Korean: 민주노동당 성소수자위원회) which advocates the recognition and political representation of sexual minorities. Their stated agenda includes a campaign against homophobia and discrimination based on sexual preferences, equal rights for sexual minorities (in their own words "complete freedom, equality, and right of pursuit of happiness for homosexuals")[26] as well as the legalization of same-sex marriages.[26] On its campaign bid for the 2004 parliamentary elections, the Democratic Labour Party promised the abolition of all inequalities against sexual minorities and won a record 10 seats in the Kukhoe National Assembly.

The Anti-Discrimination law has been proposed by all National Assembly (except for 20th National Assembly) since its initial motion in 2007, but has never been passed.[27]

On July 30, 2004, the Committee filed a formal complaint against the Incheon District Court's decision to refuse the recognition of same-sex marriages. The complaint was filed on the grounds that the decision is unconstitutional since neither the Constitution nor civil law define marriage as being between a man and a woman (the only mentioned requisite is age of majority) and that the Constitution explicitly forbids discrimination "pertaining to all political, economic, social, or cultural aspects of life of an individual." The Committee also claimed that refusal to recognize same-sex marriages constitutes discrimination based on sexual orientation and a refusal to provide equal protection under the law.[28]

On December 19, 2007, Lee Myung-bak of the conservative Grand National Party won the presidential election. In a 2007 newspaper interview, the president-elect stated that homosexuality is "abnormal", and that he opposed legal recognition of same-sex marriages.[29]

During South Korea's April 9, 2008 elections, Choi Hyun-sook (최현숙) became South Korea's first openly gay candidate for national public office when she ran for a seat in the National Assembly of South Korea. Her bid was unsuccessful.

During South Korea's 2018 elections, openly transgender candidate Kim Ki-hong (김기홍) ran for a seat in the National Assembly of South Korea. Kim ran again under the Green Party Korea in 2020 for the National Assembly of South Korea. Due to transphobic abuse Kim endured during the campaign, they committed suicide on February 24, 2021.[30]

Educational and online representation edit

16 year old female South Korean student, Kang Min-jin (강민진), was noticeable for publicizing a series of protests in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education for neglecting the sexual rights of South Korean teenagers.[31]

LGBT activism in universities edit

In the late 1990s, college students became the leading voices of South Korea's Pro-Democracy Movement. In 1995, gay and lesbian student groups began to emerge on college campuses. Among them include Come Together at Yonsei University, Maum 001 at Seoul National University, Hwarang at Kunkook University, and Saram and Saram at Korea University. Students at Korean universities experienced difficulties with being open about their sexualities. Forming these groups on campuses legitimized and increased their visibility.

Two prominent members from Ch'ingusai, Dong-jin Suh and Jung-woo Lee, came out as openly gay at their respective universities, which encouraged more students to be open about their sexuality. In October 1995, these two male students teamed up with young feminist student activists to host a "Sexual Politics Festival" at Yonsei University. This event engaged university students in issues of campus rape, lesbianism, and family. Suh and Lee, among other student leaders, were given media attention for their activism. They were invited to television talk shows, radio shows, and university lectures to discuss their efforts at increasing the visibility of lesbians and gay men to the public.[32]

LGBT online cultures edit

In 1995, South Korea's gay and lesbian communities grew more quickly than it had in previous years due to the influx of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) on Korean internet servers. Three Korean servers, Hitel, Chollian, and Nownuri facilitated online communication between Korean gays and lesbians. The BBSs were computer systems with chat features that allowed users to interact with each other. The groups enabled queer South Koreans to share information and overcome isolation. From online communication, the members of the BBSs were able to organize meet-ups and spread educational information regarding the rise of HIV and AIDS, which were not always immediately accessible elsewhere. Eventually, these online chat groups lead to the emergence of popular websites where gay men and lesbians could interact with others from around the world. Some such websites included Exzone for gay men and TG-Net for lesbians.[32]

Film representation edit

LGBT and/or Queer representation in South Korean film has been noted in films starting as early as the emergence of cinema in South Korea to the present. However, it should be recognized that categorization of LGBT/queer films can be unclear due to variation in how LGBT/Queer characters and storylines are represented, ranging from subtle allusions to more obvious and overt depictions. Ambiguity as to what constitutes queer representation also stems from the debate over how to define the term "queer." While LGBT/queer representation varies greatly in cinema, non-normative elements and transgressive qualities may promote a queer reading of film, thus placing it in the category of LGBT/queer.[33]

Films directed by openly LGBTQ directors have mostly been released independently and as short films. These include Lee Song Hee-il's films Everyday is Like Sunday (1997)[34] and No Regret (2006)[35] as well as Kimjo Kwang-soo's films Boy Meets Boy (2008)[36] and Just Friends? (2009).[37] Films by LGBTQ directors are not limited to short films however, as seen by the feature-length film by Kim Kyung-mook's, Stateless Things (2011).[33]

Notable films in Korean queer cinema include Ascetic: Woman and Woman (Kim Su-hyeong, 1976) which won awards during the time of its release but did not receive much popularity.[34] Road Movie (Kim In-shik, 2002), released through a major film company did not have the expected box office results, but has been seen as a precursor to queer films that came after it.[35] One of the most mainstream and successful queer films is The King and the Clown (Lee Joon-ik, 2005) which represented LGBT themes mainly through it subtext rather than explicit depictions, but reached a mainstream audience.[38] The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook, 2016) also found striking success at the box office and like The King and the Clown, depicted homosexuality in a subtle way that conveyed queer sexual tension.[39]

Lesbian experience edit

Statistics edit

In 2004, the Lesbian Counseling Center in South Korea (formerly Kirikiri) and the Lesbian Institute for Lesbians (LIFL) ran a research study titled “Research of Actual Condition of Lesbians of South Korea, 2004”. The study was the first of its kind and was intended to be used as a basis for policy development. 561 lesbians were surveyed.

69.3% of lesbians who were surveyed reported having been troubled by sexuality in their teen years. 95% of the surveyed lesbians reported having been in a relationship, most of which occurred for the first time in their teen years also. Due to homophobia they experienced, lesbians experienced difficulties with coming out. They expressed fear of being punished, fired, and stigmatized. Some lesbians expressed threats of being outed, sexual violence, and blackmail. 90.8% of lesbians who were harmed did not seek help from the police. These instances and others brought about mental and emotional difficulties for lesbians in South Korea. Lesbians expressed trouble with hiding relationships, internalized homophobia, and relationships with their families.[40]

The study found:[40]

1. 69.3% of lesbians experienced trouble with their sexual identity as a teenager

2. 74.7% felt pain in their familial relationships

3. 67.4% experienced emotional pain when family or friends expressed homophobia

4. 12.9% of those who expressed discrimination faced sexual violence

Kirikiri edit

Kirikiri is the first lesbian rights movement group in South Korea. It formed in November 1994 as a separation from a larger lesbian and gay Korean group, Chodonghoe. A defining event in Kirikiri's history occurred in 2001 when Suk Ja Kang, a representative from the Korean Association of Women's Studies (KAWS) argued in a paper titled “Critical Study of Lesbian Feminism: A Comparison with Korean Women's Experience” that lesbians are an abnormal group in Korean society created as a “product of Western theory” and should be excluded from feminist discourse.[40] The exclusion of lesbians from women's movements was a factor that inspired resistance from Kirikiri members. The homophobia presented in this paper at the Fall Annual Conference compelled Kirikiri to demand KAWS withdraw its claims. However, Kang refused and responded by saying that Kirikiri members should present their opposing thoughts at future conferences.

In addition to experiencing exclusion from the KAWS, Kirikiri faced homophobic backlash from the Korean Foundation for Women (KFW). The KFW refused to authorize funding for Kirikiri claiming that Kirikiri was a "lesbian organization" and as such, could not be considered a "women's organization".[40] Kirikiri was the first lesbian organization to apply for the fund, but the KFW rendered lesbians as sexual minorities but not women. In response, Kirikiri made a public statement. Propelled by the backlash, the Korean Foundation for Women allocated the fund to a sexual minority group three years later in 2005. Kirikiri's resistance brought Korean lesbians out of social erasure. Eventually, Kirikiri changed names. The organization is presently known as the Lesbian Counseling Center in South Korea.

Project L(esbian) edit

In 2005, Project L was the first exhibition organized by openly bisexual women and lesbian artists in South Korea. The Project L exhibition was initially supposed to take place at the 2004 Wolgyung Festival. However, a week before the opening, the organizers of the event canceled the exhibition. They claimed that the scope of the exhibition did not fit the theme of that year which was the promotion of “positive images of the natural female body.”[41] Some lesbians and bisexual women who showcased their art opted to limit publicity in art magazines because they feared opposition from other feminist artists in the art community. Project L increased visibility for queer women in Korea, but the fear of social repercussions was still alive. Project L was showcased at Konkuk University where artists were also fearful of homophobic violence from students who attended the university. In 2008, a second exhibition called Gender Spectrum followed Project L.

See also edit

References edit

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  41. ^ Koh, Dong-Yeon (September 2013). "Globalizing Korean queers ? Project L(esbian), the first exhibition of lesbian arts in South Korea". Inter-Asia Cultural Studies. 14 (3): 378–400. doi:10.1080/14649373.2013.802416. ISSN 1464-9373. S2CID 144121522.

External links edit

  • Chingusai
  • Korean Sexual-Minority Culture and Rights Center (KSCRC)

lgbt, history, south, korea, modern, south, korean, lgbt, rights, movement, arose, 1990s, with, several, small, organizations, seeking, combat, sexual, orientation, gender, identity, discrimination, contents, early, history, recent, history, south, korea, time. The modern South Korean LGBT rights movement arose in the 1990s with several small organizations seeking to combat sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination Contents 1 Early history 2 Recent history in South Korea 2 1 Timeline of recent LGBT activism in South Korea 2 2 Political representation 2 3 Educational and online representation 2 3 1 LGBT activism in universities 2 3 2 LGBT online cultures 2 4 Film representation 2 5 Lesbian experience 2 5 1 Statistics 2 5 2 Kirikiri 2 5 3 Project L esbian 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksEarly history editAlthough there is very little mention of homosexuality in Korean literature or traditional historical accounts several members of nobility and Buddhist monks have been known to either profess their attraction to members of the same sex or else be actively involved with them 1 The earliest such recorded example might be that of King Hyegong the 36th ruler of the Silla Dynasty who was killed at the age of 22 by his noblemen who revolted in protest of his femininity 2 3 King Mokjong 980 1009 and King Gongmin 1325 1374 of Goryeo are both on record as having kept several wonchung male lovers in their courts as little brother attendants chajewhi who served as sexual partners After the death of his wife King Gongmin even went so far as to create a ministry whose sole purpose was to seek out and recruit young men from all over the country to serve in his court 2 By contrast Royal Noble Consort Sun second consort to the then Joseon crown prince was ejected from the palace and demoted to commoner status for having had sexual relations with one of her ladies maids 4 Hwarang was the most overt form of same sex relationships in ancient Korea 5 The sexual prowess of the hwarang were recorded in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms through pieces of Silla poetry such as Changipalang ga 찬기파랑가 Mojugjilang ga 모죽지랑가 and Ch oyong ga 처용가 5 During the Goryeo dynasty same sex sexual activity was not explicitly prohibited 5 During the Joseon Dynasty however Korean society experienced a draconian shift as the neo Confucian elite and scholars declared homosexuality wicked and depraved forcing homosexual activity to go underground and in secrecy 5 Evidence of homosexual activities among the common people are harder to find as there are fewer records pertaining to them Common people were less likely to be literate with writing and less likely to have their records preserved During the Joseon Era before the Japanese annexation there were travelling theater groups known as namsadang which included underaged males called midong beautiful boys The troupes provided various types of entertainment including band music song masked dance circus and puppet plays sometimes with graphic representations of same sex intercourse 2 Recent history in South Korea editSome of these organizations also work to prevent the spread of AIDS HIV Among the active organizations are Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea Chingusai Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center KSCRC Lesbian and Gay Alliance Against Discrimination in Korea LGAAD Korea Lesbian Counseling Center in S Korea Kirikiri Beyond The Rainbow Foundation Parents and Families of LGBTAIQ People in KoreaOne of the first legal victories of these organizations came in 2003 when the Korean National Human Rights Protection Committee formally advised the Korea s Youth Protection Committee to remove homophobic language from the Youth Protection Act of 1997 that had been used to justify the government harassment and censorship of LGBT South Korean film festivals and webpages 6 In the Anti discrimination Act introduced in 2007 by The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea the section prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation has been withdrawn following outrages from conservative Christian organisations While there are no federal laws against LGBT discrimination various municipalities such as Seoul and Jeju have enacted their own ordinances against it 7 In March 2015 the Ministry of Education enacted a new set of rules prohibiting the teaching of homosexuality or any other non normative sexual orientations in sex education curricula 8 Timeline of recent LGBT activism in South Korea edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources LGBT history in South Korea news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message 1993 12 Formation of South Korea s pioneer queer rights organization Ch odonghwe 초동회 composed of three gay men and three lesbians which later split into Chingusai and Kirikiri 1994 2 Dissolution of Ch odonghoe 초동회 1994 Formation of two organizations Chingusai 친구사이 Between Friends for gay men and KiriKiri 끼리끼리 for lesbians 1995 Online communication promotes further contact among LGBTQ communities Proliferation of LGBTQ affinity rights groups following the launch of LGBTQ organizations at Seoul National University and Yonsei University 1996 First lesbian bar Lesbos opens 9 Airing of Gina Song Report 1997 Korean Queer Film Festival is held for the first time The first mass gathering of LGBTQ individuals accompanied by the formation of Union of College Lesbians and Gays Daedongin which became Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea Dong illyŏn later First demonstrations for gay rights as an independent issue 1998 Launch of Buddy Korea s first national gay interest magazine Key members of Buddy later establish the Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center KSCRC in 2003 1999 Growth of internet social networking sites e g X Zone Hwa rang Tgnet 2000 in Seoul Queer Culture Festival is held for the first time 10 Korean celebrity Hong Seok Cheon comes out 11 2001 Debut of entertainer Harisu a transgender woman 12 Passage of the first National Human Rights Commission Act to include the term sexual orientation 2002 Controversy over the closure of X Zone by the Information Communication Ethics Committee 2003 The National Human Rights Commission recommends the removal of homophobic language in the Youth Protection Act Yook Woo Dang a youth member of Dong illyŏn commits suicide in the office 2004 The Youth Protection Act Enforcement Decree removes homophobic language the first of several revised statutes related to gay rights The Korea Democratic Labor Party becomes the first national political body to establish an internal committee for LGBTQ issues 2005 Project L esbian opens at Konkuk University It was the first exhibition organized by openly bisexual women and lesbian artists in South Korea 2006 Drafting of transgender sex change legislation joint solidarity Proposal of special law initiative for sex change of transgender Supreme Court approves sex change of transgender 2007 10 A struggle begins in response to the section in the Anti Discrimination Act prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation The identity of bigotry is manifested 2008 Choi Hyun Sook runs as the first openly lesbian candidate in the Korean general election Formation of Rainbow Action a coalition of LGBT organizations of Korea First LGBT Human Rights Forum is held 2010 Life is Beautiful ko 인생은 아름다워 a television drama containing the story of a gay couple is nationally broadcast 2011 Outbreak of hate crimes in Jongno Rainbow Action stages a sit in at the city council offices The deadlock surrounding the attempt to pass the Ordinance for Student Rights in Seoul without including sexual orientation and gender identity among its protections resolves and the Ordinance for Student Rights in Seoul passes 2012 LGBTQ banners are banned by the local government of Mapo gu causing controversy 2013 For the first time transgender individuals can legally change their gender without gender reassignment surgery The Democratic Party withdraws its Anti Discrimination Act Min Hong Cheol a Democratic Party member of the National Assembly pushes for a retrogressive revision of the Military Criminal Law which criminalizes even consensual sexual relationships in army 2013 Movie director Kim Jho Kwang soo and his partner Kim Seung hwan become the first South Korean gay couple to publicly wed although it is not a legally recognized marriage 13 2014 Queer activists occupy the Seoul City Hall in protest 14 2017 The Supreme Court ordered the government to allow Beyond the Rainbow an LGBT rights foundation to register as a charity with the Ministry of Justice 15 2018 Openly transgender Kim Ki hong ran for the Jeju Special Self Governing Provincial Council and failed 16 Beyond The Rainbow Foundation Korea s first incorporated sexual minority human rights organization was registered 17 2019 The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency granted permission to the Seoul Queer Culture Festival to host a parade within city limits despite there being police concerns over threats and violence from counter protestors 18 This contrasts with the agency s handling of the festival in 2015 in which they had denied permission to the parade amid concerns of traffic disruptions and violent counter protests 19 The openly lesbian Kim Gyu Jin married her partner 20 The female queer movie Moonlit Winter was released and won the Queer Camellia prize at the Queer Camellia Award 21 22 2020 Kim Gyu Jin and her partner filed a marriage registration with the Jongno Gu Office but received the notice of non repair 23 2021 South Korea s first transgender soldier named Byun who was forcibly discharged after having gender reassignment surgery was found dead The defence ministry classified her loss of male genitals as a mental or physical handicap and a military panel ruled in early 2020 that she would be compulsorily discharged 24 2023 The Seoul High Court sided with a same sex couple who had filed a lawsuit against the National Health Insurance Service in 2021 after being denied spousal insurance benefits The initial ruling by a lower court favored the insurer on the grounds that a same sex union could not be considered a common law marriage under the current law 25 Political representation edit Main article List of political parties in South Korea South Korean political parties tend to avoid formally addressing LGBT rights issues as do most of the elected politicians A major exception would be the Democratic Labour Party The Democratic Labour Party Korean 민주노동당 established in January 2000 is the third largest political party in South Korea and has a political panel known as the Sexual Minorities Committee Korean 민주노동당 성소수자위원회 which advocates the recognition and political representation of sexual minorities Their stated agenda includes a campaign against homophobia and discrimination based on sexual preferences equal rights for sexual minorities in their own words complete freedom equality and right of pursuit of happiness for homosexuals 26 as well as the legalization of same sex marriages 26 On its campaign bid for the 2004 parliamentary elections the Democratic Labour Party promised the abolition of all inequalities against sexual minorities and won a record 10 seats in the Kukhoe National Assembly The Anti Discrimination law has been proposed by all National Assembly except for 20th National Assembly since its initial motion in 2007 but has never been passed 27 On July 30 2004 the Committee filed a formal complaint against the Incheon District Court s decision to refuse the recognition of same sex marriages The complaint was filed on the grounds that the decision is unconstitutional since neither the Constitution nor civil law define marriage as being between a man and a woman the only mentioned requisite is age of majority and that the Constitution explicitly forbids discrimination pertaining to all political economic social or cultural aspects of life of an individual The Committee also claimed that refusal to recognize same sex marriages constitutes discrimination based on sexual orientation and a refusal to provide equal protection under the law 28 On December 19 2007 Lee Myung bak of the conservative Grand National Party won the presidential election In a 2007 newspaper interview the president elect stated that homosexuality is abnormal and that he opposed legal recognition of same sex marriages 29 During South Korea s April 9 2008 elections Choi Hyun sook 최현숙 became South Korea s first openly gay candidate for national public office when she ran for a seat in the National Assembly of South Korea Her bid was unsuccessful During South Korea s 2018 elections openly transgender candidate Kim Ki hong 김기홍 ran for a seat in the National Assembly of South Korea Kim ran again under the Green Party Korea in 2020 for the National Assembly of South Korea Due to transphobic abuse Kim endured during the campaign they committed suicide on February 24 2021 30 Educational and online representation edit 16 year old female South Korean student Kang Min jin 강민진 was noticeable for publicizing a series of protests in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education for neglecting the sexual rights of South Korean teenagers 31 LGBT activism in universities edit In the late 1990s college students became the leading voices of South Korea s Pro Democracy Movement In 1995 gay and lesbian student groups began to emerge on college campuses Among them include Come Together at Yonsei University Maum 001 at Seoul National University Hwarang at Kunkook University and Saram and Saram at Korea University Students at Korean universities experienced difficulties with being open about their sexualities Forming these groups on campuses legitimized and increased their visibility Two prominent members from Ch ingusai Dong jin Suh and Jung woo Lee came out as openly gay at their respective universities which encouraged more students to be open about their sexuality In October 1995 these two male students teamed up with young feminist student activists to host a Sexual Politics Festival at Yonsei University This event engaged university students in issues of campus rape lesbianism and family Suh and Lee among other student leaders were given media attention for their activism They were invited to television talk shows radio shows and university lectures to discuss their efforts at increasing the visibility of lesbians and gay men to the public 32 LGBT online cultures edit In 1995 South Korea s gay and lesbian communities grew more quickly than it had in previous years due to the influx of Bulletin Board Systems BBS on Korean internet servers Three Korean servers Hitel Chollian and Nownuri facilitated online communication between Korean gays and lesbians The BBSs were computer systems with chat features that allowed users to interact with each other The groups enabled queer South Koreans to share information and overcome isolation From online communication the members of the BBSs were able to organize meet ups and spread educational information regarding the rise of HIV and AIDS which were not always immediately accessible elsewhere Eventually these online chat groups lead to the emergence of popular websites where gay men and lesbians could interact with others from around the world Some such websites included Exzone for gay men and TG Net for lesbians 32 Film representation edit LGBT and or Queer representation in South Korean film has been noted in films starting as early as the emergence of cinema in South Korea to the present However it should be recognized that categorization of LGBT queer films can be unclear due to variation in how LGBT Queer characters and storylines are represented ranging from subtle allusions to more obvious and overt depictions Ambiguity as to what constitutes queer representation also stems from the debate over how to define the term queer While LGBT queer representation varies greatly in cinema non normative elements and transgressive qualities may promote a queer reading of film thus placing it in the category of LGBT queer 33 Films directed by openly LGBTQ directors have mostly been released independently and as short films These include Lee Song Hee il s films Everyday is Like Sunday 1997 34 and No Regret 2006 35 as well as Kimjo Kwang soo s films Boy Meets Boy 2008 36 and Just Friends 2009 37 Films by LGBTQ directors are not limited to short films however as seen by the feature length film by Kim Kyung mook s Stateless Things 2011 33 Notable films in Korean queer cinema include Ascetic Woman and Woman Kim Su hyeong 1976 which won awards during the time of its release but did not receive much popularity 34 Road Movie Kim In shik 2002 released through a major film company did not have the expected box office results but has been seen as a precursor to queer films that came after it 35 One of the most mainstream and successful queer films is The King and the Clown Lee Joon ik 2005 which represented LGBT themes mainly through it subtext rather than explicit depictions but reached a mainstream audience 38 The Handmaiden Park Chan wook 2016 also found striking success at the box office and like The King and the Clown depicted homosexuality in a subtle way that conveyed queer sexual tension 39 Lesbian experience edit Statistics edit In 2004 the Lesbian Counseling Center in South Korea formerly Kirikiri and the Lesbian Institute for Lesbians LIFL ran a research study titled Research of Actual Condition of Lesbians of South Korea 2004 The study was the first of its kind and was intended to be used as a basis for policy development 561 lesbians were surveyed 69 3 of lesbians who were surveyed reported having been troubled by sexuality in their teen years 95 of the surveyed lesbians reported having been in a relationship most of which occurred for the first time in their teen years also Due to homophobia they experienced lesbians experienced difficulties with coming out They expressed fear of being punished fired and stigmatized Some lesbians expressed threats of being outed sexual violence and blackmail 90 8 of lesbians who were harmed did not seek help from the police These instances and others brought about mental and emotional difficulties for lesbians in South Korea Lesbians expressed trouble with hiding relationships internalized homophobia and relationships with their families 40 The study found 40 1 69 3 of lesbians experienced trouble with their sexual identity as a teenager2 74 7 felt pain in their familial relationships3 67 4 experienced emotional pain when family or friends expressed homophobia4 12 9 of those who expressed discrimination faced sexual violence Kirikiri edit Kirikiri is the first lesbian rights movement group in South Korea It formed in November 1994 as a separation from a larger lesbian and gay Korean group Chodonghoe A defining event in Kirikiri s history occurred in 2001 when Suk Ja Kang a representative from the Korean Association of Women s Studies KAWS argued in a paper titled Critical Study of Lesbian Feminism A Comparison with Korean Women s Experience that lesbians are an abnormal group in Korean society created as a product of Western theory and should be excluded from feminist discourse 40 The exclusion of lesbians from women s movements was a factor that inspired resistance from Kirikiri members The homophobia presented in this paper at the Fall Annual Conference compelled Kirikiri to demand KAWS withdraw its claims However Kang refused and responded by saying that Kirikiri members should present their opposing thoughts at future conferences In addition to experiencing exclusion from the KAWS Kirikiri faced homophobic backlash from the Korean Foundation for Women KFW The KFW refused to authorize funding for Kirikiri claiming that Kirikiri was a lesbian organization and as such could not be considered a women s organization 40 Kirikiri was the first lesbian organization to apply for the fund but the KFW rendered lesbians as sexual minorities but not women In response Kirikiri made a public statement Propelled by the backlash the Korean Foundation for Women allocated the fund to a sexual minority group three years later in 2005 Kirikiri s resistance brought Korean lesbians out of social erasure Eventually Kirikiri changed names The organization is presently known as the Lesbian Counseling Center in South Korea Project L esbian edit In 2005 Project L was the first exhibition organized by openly bisexual women and lesbian artists in South Korea The Project L exhibition was initially supposed to take place at the 2004 Wolgyung Festival However a week before the opening the organizers of the event canceled the exhibition They claimed that the scope of the exhibition did not fit the theme of that year which was the promotion of positive images of the natural female body 41 Some lesbians and bisexual women who showcased their art opted to limit publicity in art magazines because they feared opposition from other feminist artists in the art community Project L increased visibility for queer women in Korea but the fear of social repercussions was still alive Project L was showcased at Konkuk University where artists were also fearful of homophobic violence from students who attended the university In 2008 a second exhibition called Gender Spectrum followed Project L See also editLGBT rights in South Korea LGBT historyReferences edit Korean Gay and Lesbian History Utopia asia com Retrieved 2011 01 20 a b c Hyung Ki Choi et al South Korea Taehan Min guk International Encyclopedia of Sexuality Continuum Publishing Company Archived from the original on 2007 01 10 Retrieved 2007 01 01 see also Hyegong wang 惠恭王 in Samguk Sagi Silla Bon gi 世宗實錄 Veritable Records of Sejong Vol 75 1454 a b c d Kim Young Gwan Hahn Sook Ja February 2006 Homosexuality in ancient and modern Korea Culture Health amp Sexuality 8 1 59 65 doi 10 1080 13691050500159720 PMID 16500825 S2CID 35985239 Gay Korea and South Korean Gay and Lesbian Resources by Utopia Asia Utopia asia com Retrieved 2011 01 20 다운로드 2016년 한국 LGBTI 인권현황 한국어 영어 annual sogilaw org Archived from the original on 2018 07 29 Retrieved 2019 12 02 New sex ed guidelines forbid teaching about homosexuality english hani co kr Retrieved 2019 12 04 입력 2001 12 30 00 00 2001 12 30 정말 행복한 girl 중앙일보 in Korean Retrieved 2021 05 17 서울광장 퀴어축제 논란에 계산기만 두드리는 여야 후보들 www hani co kr in Korean 2021 02 21 Retrieved 2021 05 17 홍석천 성적 소수자 사이에선 나도 한류스타 게이올림픽 서 연설 www chosun com in Korean 4 August 2020 Retrieved 2021 05 17 남자 아니면 여자 이분법으로 나누지 않는 사회를 원해요 한국일보 in Korean 2017 11 16 Retrieved 2021 05 17 First South Korean Gay Couple to Publicly Wed Plans Challenge to Marriage Law 성소수자 서울시청 점거 6일간의 기록 허프포스트코리아 in Korean 2014 12 23 Retrieved 2019 05 21 South Korea Supreme Court Affirms LGBT Rights Human Rights Watch August 4 2017 정치 약자들의 힘겨운 총선 트랜스젠더 25세 최연소 등 차별의 벽 에 온몸으로 돌진 경향신문 in Korean 2020 04 06 Retrieved 2021 06 16 6월 18일 오늘의 역사 청주일보 in Korean 2021 06 18 Retrieved 2021 06 18 Police give South Korea pride parade green light Gay Star News 2019 06 25 Retrieved 2019 12 04 South Korean Police Bans LGBT Pride www out com 2015 06 01 Retrieved 2019 12 04 취재후 우린 오늘 결혼하지만 내일 혼인신고를 거절 당할 거야 KBS 뉴스 in Korean Retrieved 2021 05 17 수정 2020 09 07 15 50 입력 2020 09 07 15 43 2020 09 07 이름 대화 없는 여성 캐릭터 그만 비주류 넘어 흥행 코드 된 여성 중앙일보 in Korean Retrieved 2021 05 17 news1 2019 11 28 김희애 윤희에게 퀴어 카멜리아상 수상 한국판 캐롤 의 탄생 Dong A Iibo Retrieved 2021 05 18 정윤경 2020 05 27 SNS 세상 동성 부부 혼인신고서 이례적 대면 제출 이유는 연합뉴스 in Korean Retrieved 2021 05 17 South Koreas first transgender soldier found dead The Guardian 2021 03 04 Retrieved 2021 03 04 Choi Soo Hyang 2023 02 21 South Korean court grants legal status for same sex couple in landmark ruling Reuters Retrieved 2023 02 21 a b in Korean 한국정당사 첫 동성애 공식기구 떴다 정치 인터넷한겨레 차별금지법 천신만고 끝 10명 모아 발의 www hani co kr in Korean 2020 06 29 Retrieved 2021 06 18 블로그 네이버 Blog naver com Archived from the original on 2011 05 19 Retrieved 2011 01 20 Global LGBT Human Rights Organization OutRight Archived from the original on 2007 07 15 Retrieved 2007 07 15 Sexual Minorities Fought by Being While Discrimination and Hatred Drove Them to Not Being Khan News Retrieved 2021 06 20 Kim 김 Eun ji 은지 2011 12 17 10대의 성은 차별받아도 되나 SisaInLive in Korean Retrieved 2011 12 17 a b Cho John The Korean Gay and Lesbian Movement 1993 2008 PDF a b Kim Ungsan 2017 01 02 Queer Korean cinema national others and making of queer space in Stateless Things 2011 Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema 9 1 61 79 doi 10 1080 17564905 2017 1296803 ISSN 1756 4905 S2CID 152116199 a b Lee Jooran 2000 11 28 Remembered Branches Towards a Future of Korean Homosexual Film Journal of Homosexuality 39 3 4 273 281 doi 10 1300 J082v39n03 12 ISSN 0091 8369 PMID 11133136 S2CID 26513122 a b 김필호 C COLIN SINGER June 2011 Three Periods of Korean Queer Cinema Invisible Camouflage and Blockbuster Acta Koreana 14 1 117 136 doi 10 18399 acta 2011 14 1 005 ISSN 1520 7412 Giammarco Tom 2013 Queer Cinema In C Balmain Ed Directory of World Cinema South Korea pp 170 171 Chicago IL Intellect Balmain Colette 2013 Queer Cinema In C Balmain Ed Directory of World Cinema South Korea pp 175 176 Chicago IL Intellect Shin Jeeyoung 2013 Male Homosexuality in The King and the Clown Hybrid Construction and Contested Meanings Journal of Korean Studies 18 1 89 114 doi 10 1353 jks 2013 0006 ISSN 2158 1665 S2CID 143374035 Shin Chi Yun 2019 01 02 In another time and place The Handmaiden as an adaptation Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema 11 1 1 13 doi 10 1080 17564905 2018 1520781 ISSN 1756 4905 a b c d Park Kim Park Tong Soo Jin Lee Kim Siro Soo Youn Kwon Lee Yuri Eun Jung 2007 01 02 The Lesbian Rights Movement and Feminism in South Korea Journal of Lesbian Studies 10 3 4 161 190 doi 10 1300 J155v10n03 11 ISSN 1089 4160 PMID 17210565 S2CID 216114792 Koh Dong Yeon September 2013 Globalizing Korean queers Project L esbian the first exhibition of lesbian arts in South Korea Inter Asia Cultural Studies 14 3 378 400 doi 10 1080 14649373 2013 802416 ISSN 1464 9373 S2CID 144121522 External links editChingusai Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center KSCRC Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title LGBT history in South Korea amp oldid 1177405568, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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