LGBTQ rights in South Korea
Summary
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. 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 and a half years 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.
Originally created by Cleduc
8/30/2006, 4:47:10 AM
Modified
5/18/2026, 11:58:12 PM
Recent revisions
copy edit; cn
Move 1 url. [[User:GreenC/WaybackMedic_2.5|Wayback Medic 2.5]] per [[WP:URLREQ#pri.org]]
Added links
Fixed grammar and formatting
corrected a typo (couhtries → countries)
/* Public opinion */
/* Transgender rights */ In March 2026, nearly two years after the Byun Huisu Foundation applied for recognition as a nonprofit, it was approved. A conservative member of the NHRCK had obstructed the approval process, in response to which the foundation's creators sued the NHRCK; the Seoul Administrative Court ruled that the delay was illegal, after which the NHRCK approved the nonprofit. The Byun Huisu Foundation will support transgender rights.
/* Recognition of same-sex relationships */
/* Military service */ Linked Byun Hui-su's page
clean up (see [[WP:MoS]]), replaced: LGBT → LGBTQ (48), [[WP:AWB/T|typo(s) fixed]]: In March 29, 2024 → On March 29, 2024, in October 7, 2021 → on October 7, 2021, ’s → 's (3)
Disambiguating links to [[Orthodox]] (link changed to [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]) using [[User:Qwertyytrewqqwerty/DisamAssist|DisamAssist]].
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Ce
/* Recognition of same-sex relationships */Ce
