The Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themed festival in South Korea with gatherings occurring annually from 2000. Since 2015, the event has taken place in Seoul Plaza excluding the years in which public gatherings had been banned due to COVID-19. Despite this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has denied the SQCF from occurring in Seoul Plaza this year. It was instead replaced with a concert for teens planned by the Christian broadcasting company, Christian Television System (CTS) Culture Foundation, which have previously expressed their opposition to the queer festival and homosexuality as a whole. This decision has been made after both organizers submitted their requests to hold the respective events 90 days before they were scheduled to occur on July 1. 

The government justified their decision by citing a bylaw that states events aimed towards the wellbeing of the youth are favored in cases where multiple applications are submitted for the same date; however, both parties refused requests by metropolitan officials to reschedule their events. Organizers of the SQCF have called this ruling “discriminatory” and “untransparent”.  On the other hand, the CTS Culture Foundation affirmed their statement that they did not plan their concert in an effort to block the queer festival from occurring, but rather to avoid the Korean monsoon season which would concur with the event if it was postponed. While SQCF organizers have forfeited their rights to hold the parade at Seoul Plaza, they have announced that they would try to find alternative ideas to stick to their original plan.

The government’s decision was met with heavy backlash from the LGBT community, who have accused officials of “condoning bigotry and discrimination” against sexual minorities. These frustrations are not new in Korea, where anything aside from heterosexuality remains a taboo subject matter and governing bodies tend to side against the LGBT community. It is true that significant progress has been made in recognizing the equal rights of same-sex couples. This is evident in the break-through case earlier this year where a South Korean same-sex couple was allowed to receive the same benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy from the National Health Insurance Service — the first time same-sex couple rights were recognized in South Korea. However, gay rights activism still remains largely contested by Korea’s conservative society, with a majority of protests and gatherings being met with equally fierce counter protesters — the 13,000 attendees of SQCF’s 2022 parade were outnumbered by 15,000 anti-LGBT protesters who demonstrated in areas nearby. As a result, pride parades in South Korea have largely been watched over by large-scale police presence. These proportions highlight Korea’s torn society on such issues, originating from the fight between the progressive youth and the socially conservative culture of the country.

In a world where LGBT rights are gaining momentum, particularly in Western countries with which South Korea is known for politically aligning with, many have begun to grow frustrated with having to fight tooth and nail to afford the most basic of rights. Public opinion is still split; despite the fact that over half of polled Koreans continue to oppose same-sex marriage, a majority still supports the introduction of anti-discrimination laws — the lack of which has led to several abuse cases, especially in the workplace, in recent years. These mixed public opinions reflect a complex landscape in the fight for equal rights in South Korea.

The denial of SQCF’s rights to use Seoul Plaza reflects this ongoing nationwide conflict, bringing attention to the global stage about Korea’s distinct division between its newly emerging progressive and traditionally conservative societies. Despite these challenges, what is clear is that Korea’s LGBT community continues to gradually push for equality. Though still perhaps decades behind what some other countries have accomplished, this progress highlights the importance of inclusivity and acceptance that is often neglected in today’s society.