Tag: gays

“Jesus” Makes an Appearance at Korea Queer Culture Festival

| July 21, 2017

Here is an image that has supposedly gone viral on the Internet from the Korea Queer Culture Festival:

An ironic image ended up embodying this year’s Korea Queer Culture Festival (KQCF). Standing in front of a line of Christian protesters bearing a banner reading “Homosexuality is sin! Return to Jesus!” is a bearded white male in robes, clearly dressed as “Jesus,” holding a rainbow-colored sign reading “I’m cool with it.” The image went viral, making the front page of Reddit Tuesday morning.

“It’s been a wild ride these last few days. I thoroughly enjoy reading the comments everywhere though,” said Robert Evans, 27, the American seen in the picture.

He recalls the picture was taken right before the pride parade departed Seoul Square. The festivalgoers were corralled by riot police, protecting them from Christian protesters. The protesters were gathered in front of the Hwangudan gate right next to the gate leading to the street where the parade would start.

“There were thousands and thousands of people just outside the frame of this photo but I guess nobody wanted to get too close to the protesters,” Evans said. “I took the opportunity to fill that space and present my message. I was aware of the banner behind me but I did not craft my sign with the specific intent of standing in front of that banner.”  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

Male ROK Army Soldier Convicted of Crime for Being Gay

| May 25, 2017

It seems the judge found middle ground here because the officer was convicted of the crime of sodomy, but he did not sentence him to jail since it was suspended for one year.  So basically the officer has to stay out of trouble for one year to avoid going to jail.  What I am wondering and the article does not clarify was if he was having a relationship with one of his subordinates?  Whether you are gay or straight this is something that should not be going on in the military:

South Korea’s military court sentenced an Army captain to six months in prison, suspended for a year, Wednesday on charges of having sex with a fellow male soldier, a civic group said.

The captain, whose identity was withheld, was convicted for violating the Military Criminal Act, according to the Center for Military Human Rights Korea. Under the law, a soldier who commits “sodomy” or “other disgraceful conduct” can face up to two years in prison.

“It is a bizarre clause that only has a perpetrator, without a victim,” the group said in a press release, adding the captain had sexual intercourse at a private place under consent.

The defendant, however, will not appeal the ruling, according to an official at the group.

“The captain was fulfilling his military duty and was originally scheduled to be discharged in April,” the official said. “If he appeals the ruling he will have to stay in the military without knowing when the legal battle will be finished.”

The captain collapsed after the ruling was delivered and was transferred to a nearby hospital but is known to have left the hospital in stable condition, according to the official.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

South Korean Army Caught Up In “Gay Blacklist” Scandal

| April 19, 2017

Here is the latest scandal that the ROK military is responding to:

The South Korean military is currently accused of systematically tracking down homosexual soldiers.

According to the Military Human Rights Center for Korea (MHRCK), Jang Jun-kyu, Chief of Staff for the South Korean army, had ordered a probe to track down gay men in the military (not just the army). The MHRCK claims that Jang and the army’s central cyber investigation team conducted a secret nationwide investigation in February and March, monitoring soldiers through phone-tapping, monitoring gay-dating apps, and conducting one-on-one investigations.

According to the MHRCK, the army’s alleged attempt to establish a “gay blacklist,” as the scandal is being dubbed by some local media, began after a video surfaced online sometime earlier this year. In the video, which is no longer available to the public, a male soldier is having sexual intercourse with another male officer.  [Korea Expose]

You can read the rest at the link, but the MHRCK are now calling for the head of the ROK Army to resign for launching the probe:

South Korea’s army chief is facing calls to resign amid claims he ordered a nationwide probe to root out and prosecute gay personnel.

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article.  According to campaign group the Military Human Rights Center for Korea, General Jang Jun-kyu, army chief of staff, launched a “track-down process” that pinpointed about 50 soldiers, 20 of whom now face charges under military anti-homosexuality laws.  [Financial Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but if General Jang was enforcing ROK Army policy I don’t see any way he resigns.  If someone does not like the policy then campaign to get it changed instead of trying to get someone to resign who is enforcing it.

If Asked Should You Tell Koreans You Are Gay?

| July 29, 2016

Here is an interesting question I saw posted over on Reddit.  If you are gay and on business trip to Korea is being gay something you should disclose if asked?:

rok flag

  • I’m a man, and I am married to another man. We’ve been together for three years. I wear a ring. I’d rather not remove it and risk losing it. It has emotional value to it.
  • I am traveling to Busan on a business trip for two weeks. I’m visiting the South Korea location for my US-based company. I am a senior member of management. There are no client visits; all business will be with internal teams.
  • The evenings and some weekend activities are being planned by our South Korean work hosts (dinner, activities, etc.).
  • They will see my ring, and will ask about my family as a way to get to know me and my US-based team. I don’t plan to come right out of the gate and say “I’m gay” or “I’m married to a man” but the question will likely come up in conversation about my personal life.
  • I have no issues with coworkers in the US regarding my marriage.

Should I lie and talk about my “wife” while I’m in South Korea, or should I be truthful? I am very proud of the accomplishments for equality in the United States; however, I realize that other cultures might not be ready. But what if it’s worse when they find out that I’m married to a guy (they will; we will be working closely for years to come) and they know that I lied? But then what if I explain and they understand my reason for lying because I was fearful of their reaction?  [Reddit]

You can read the reactions to this posting at the link.  Unfortunately I have no experience with this topic other than to say that older Korean males tend to be the less open minded about something like this.  Are there any ROK Heads with insights to share on this topic?

Christian Groups Gear Up To Protest 2016 Korea Queer Culture Festival

| June 13, 2016

It is that time of year again when the Christian groups come out to protest the Korea Queer Culture Festival in Seoul:


Queer Culture Festival image via Wikipedia.

A conservative Christian nongovernmental organization protested the 17th Korean Queer Culture Festival to be held today and condemned Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for supporting sexual and gender minority rights in front of Seoul City Hall on Friday.

“Homosexuality out! Park Won-soon out! Ban Ki-moon out!” a pastor from the Jesus Foundation shouted on a stage at Seoul Plaza. “Antidiscrimination law out! Islam out!”

A flier in front of a tent erected by the foundation read, “Homosexuality is a sin that challenges the order God has created!”

The Jesus Foundation has been conducting protests of the annual gay pride parade in front of Seoul City Hall for over 400 days and collecting signatures on a petition to propose an anti-gay marriage bill. The foundation stepped up its demonstration a day before the opening of the biggest festival in the nation to advocate the rights of the so-called LGBTAIQ, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, intersex and queer, community.

The size of the festival has grown from only 50 people in 2000 to 30,000 in 2015. Some 65,000 are expected to participate in today’s parade, and a police force of about 2,000 will be dispatched to oversee the event.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Seoul Plaza.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

As usual these protesters always produce some funny quotes:

The foundation denounced Park and Ban for their active support of gay people. “Homosexuals in Korea enjoy the most privileges in the entire world; they are like VIPs,” Rhim said, despite the fact that gay marriage is still not recognized in Korea.

You can read more at the link, but I wonder what VIP privileges Mr. Rhim is referring to?