Tens of thousands march in Seoul Pride as anti-discrimination law remains blocked for decades
Over 10,000 people filled central Seoul for the annual Queer Culture Festival on Saturday, while a Christian counter-demonstration of similar size gathered nearby. The parallel rallies highlight the deep divide over LGBTQ rights in South Korea.
Two rallies, two visions
The Seoul Queer Culture Festival, held each year since 2000, drew more than 10,000 participants this Saturday under 30-degree June sun. Drag performers took the stage, civil-society groups ran dozens of booths, and free HIV tests were offered alongside merchandise. The atmosphere was visibly buoyant, with rainbow flags and protest banners spreading through the glass-tower district.
Only a few hundred metres away, over 10,000 counter-demonstrators assembled in front of city hall. Organised by Christian groups, the rally sang hymns and promoted a "healthy Korea". For the opponents, homosexuality is a sin.
A conservative reality
David, a 19-year-old university student attending his first Pride, captured the tension.
He described his school years as openly homophobic and said he found an understanding environment only at university.I came today because I am gay and wanted to experience a Pride event for the first time. South Korea is still very conservative.
Despite South Korea's pop-culture prominence, the societal discourse on sexual minorities remains traditional. A 2020 OECD study placed the country among the lowest in legal equality for LGBTQ people, alongside Japan and Turkey, with little change since.
The blocked law
A comprehensive anti-discrimination bill that would protect sexual minorities has been stalled in the National Assembly for around 20 years. No president has risked the initiative, either out of conviction or fear of losing conservative Christian votes.
Ahn Chang Ho, head of the National Human Rights Commission, has opposed the bill on the grounds that it could restrict freedom of speech. Appointed in 2024 by former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Ahn has previously drawn attention for homophobic statements, including
Homosexuality is a central instrument for a communist revolution.
International backing
Support for the LGBTQ community has come from abroad. Twenty foreign embassies demonstrated solidarity with the Pride event, according to organisers.
- First Seoul Queer Culture Festival with only a few dozen participants
- OECD study places South Korea among the lowest in LGBTQ legal equality, alongside Japan and Turkey
- Ahn Chang Ho appointed head of the National Human Rights Commission by former President Yoon Suk Yeol
- Over 10,000 attend Pride; over 10,000 join a Christian counter-demonstration nearby
