Participants gather at Seoul City Hall Plaza during a Pride event in support of LGBTQ rights during the Seoul Queer Culture Festival in Seoul on July 16, 2022.
The largest annual LGBTQ pride festival in South Korea has always been hosted on the same central Seoul grassy plaza for a number of years, drawing entertainers and happy participants dressed in rainbow costumes.
To the dismay of festival organizers, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) was denied access to the venue this year, which would instead be utilized for a Christian youth concert arranged by the CTS Cultural Foundation.
According to Reuters, the foundation has ties to the Christian television network CTS, which has been an outspoken critic of homosexuality and the pride event.
Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination of Korea, one of the largest LGBTQ activist groups in the country, has helped set up the event. The group has released a statement saying, "We are angry at the Seoul Metropolitan Government that is trying to push out sexual minorities and fill the plaza with discrimination and hatred."
Rationale Behind What's Decided
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Thursday, May 4, that the LGBTQ festival and Christian concert organizers had both requested to utilize the Seoul Plaza site from June 30 to July 1.
Since neither organization was willing to move their dates, the government deferred to a civic committee, The Korea Times reported. It was later decided to approve the concert's request to use the public space.
In a statement released by the municipal administration, the civic committee gave preference to gatherings that would be of "public interest," such as those that would benefit children or teens.
Biased decision?
In a report by CNN, SQCF organizers and supporters have accused the committee of bias, saying they had the same trouble securing the space in years past.
Last week, SQCF said, "Despite submitting (requests) to use Seoul Plaza with all the requirements met, we have experienced discriminatory treatment every year, such as only being allowed to hold the event for a shorter period than the requested dates, and continuously being referred to the (civic committee) due to biased, discriminatory and subjective excuses such as 'national sentiment.'"
It said the Christian concert was being used to propagate "hatred" against LGBTQ organizations and that "the purpose of the concert is to interrupt the Queer Culture Festival and to prevent sexual minorities from revealing themselves."
In defense, a spokesperson for the CTS Cultural Foundation told Reuters that the event was not scheduled to conflict with the pride celebration.
Since 2015, the event has taken place annually in Seoul Plaza, except during the Covid-19 pandemic. SQCF has confirmed that the festival will still happen this year, albeit the location is currently unknown.
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LGBT Views in South Korea
There is no comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in place to protect LGBTQ persons in South Korea, making the country a hotbed for homophobia. It is less welcoming of same-sex couples than neighboring democracies like Japan and Taiwan, according to CNN.
The pride festivals in South Korea are a visible demonstration of the antagonism between LGBT people and its conservative, sometimes Christian critics.
Last year, opponents and religious organizations protested outside the SQCF festivities with banners and loudspeakers. Officers in the surrounding area kept the two groups at bay.
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