LGBTQ rights in South Korea
LGBTQ rights in South Korea | |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Legal |
| Gender identity | Transgender people allowed to change legal sex |
| Military | Same-sex intercourse is illegal in the military, punishable by up to two years imprisonment. |
| Discrimination protections | 15 local governments have enacted anti-discrimination policies and provisions that include sexual orientation, though not nationally |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex relationships |
| Adoption | No |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in South Korea face prejudice, discrimination, and other barriers to social inclusion not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents, though there has been social improvements since the late 2010s. Same-sex intercourse is legal for civilians in South Korea, but in the military, same-sex intercourse among soldiers is a crime, and all able-bodied men must complete about one year and half of military service under the conscript system. South Korean national law does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions, nor does it protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Same-sex couples cannot jointly adopt, and a 2021 Human Rights Watch investigation found that LGBTQ students face "bullying and harassment, a lack of confidential mental health support, exclusion from school curricula, and gender identity discrimination" in South Korean schools.
On LGBTQ rights, South Korea is an outlier among other developed democracies, according to an NBC News analysis. On the 2019 Franklin & Marshall Global Barometer of Gay Rights, OECD nations averaged a grade of B. South Korea, however, was one of only three OECD countries to earn an F. Countries graded an F are characterized by the report as "persecuting" their LGBTQ communities.
Homosexuality remains quite taboo in South Korean society. Homosexuality is not specifically mentioned in either the South Korean Constitution or in the Civil Penal Code, although article 2 of the National Human Rights Commission Of Korea Act includes sexual orientation as one of the protected classes. Transgender or non-binary people are excluded from military service.
Transgender people are allowed to undergo gender affirming care in South Korea after the age of 20, and can change their gender identity on official documents. Harisu is South Korea's first transgender entertainer, and in 2002 became the second person in South Korea to legally change sex.
Gay and lesbian Koreans still face difficulties at home and work, and many prefer not to reveal their sexual orientation to family, friends or co-workers out of fear of discrimination and being ostracized.
A survey by the Pew Research Center in 2023 found that a majority of South Koreans (56%) opposed same-sex marriage, below countries such as Japan (where 74% support same-sex marriage) and Vietnam (where 65% support same-sex marriage).
According to a 2024 survey by Statista, South Korea had the lowest share of people identifying as LGBT among 43 countries at only 3%, falling behind countries such as the Philippines (where 11% identify as LGBT) and Thailand (where 10% identify as LGBT).