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.

On the 2019 Franklin & Marshall Global Barometer of Gay Rights, South Korea was one of only three OECD countries to earn an F, whereas the OECD average is B. Countries graded an F are characterized by the report as "persecuting" their LGBTQ communities. According to a 2025 data from the Pew Research Center, 56% of South Koreans view homosexuality as "morally unacceptable." This figure is significantly higher than in many other developed countries, such as Japan (21%) or Spain (7%).

Homosexuality remains taboo in South Korean society. Homosexuality is not specifically mentioned in either the South Korean Constitution or in the Civil Penal Code, although article 2 of the National Human Rights Commission Of Korea Act includes sexual orientation as one of the protected classes. Transgender or non-binary people are excluded from military service.

Transgender people are allowed to undergo gender affirming care in South Korea at the age of 19, and can change their gender identity on official documents. Harisu is South Korea's first transgender entertainer, and in 2002 became the second person in South Korea to legally change sex.

Gay and lesbian Koreans still face difficulties at home and work, and many prefer not to reveal their sexual orientation to family, friends or co-workers out of fear of discrimination and being ostracized.

A 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center found that a majority of South Koreans (56%) opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage. This opposition stood in contrast to regional countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, where support for same-sex marriage was significantly higher at 74% and 65%, respectively. Furthermore, a 2024 survey by Statista found that South Korea reported the lowest share of people identifying as LGBTQ among 43 countries surveyed, at only 3%. This figure was significantly lower than that of some Asian countries, including the Philippines (11%) and Thailand (10%).

Etymology The Korean word for "homosexual" is dongseongaeja (, "same-sex lover"), which is of Sino-Korean origin. A less considerate, but quite common, term is dongseongyeonaeja (). South Korean homosexuals, however, make frequent use of the term ibanin () which can be translated as "different type person", and is usually shortened to iban ().Kirikiri, the Lesbian Counseling Center in Korea ; dead link as of 2009-01-17

The word is a direct play on the word ilban-in () meaning "normal person" or "ordinary person". In addition, English loanwords are used in South Korea to describe LGBTQ people. These words are simple transliterations of English words into hangul: lesbian (initially, a loanword from Greek to English) is lejeubieon or yeoseongae ( or ), gay is gei or namseongae ( or ), queer is kwieo (), transgender is teuraenseujendeo (), and bisexual is yangseongaeja ().

History

There is very little mention of homosexuality in Korean literature or traditional historical accounts. While some accounts of homosexuality exist, their accuracy has been disputed.

Several members of the nobility and Buddhist monks have been known to either profess their attraction to members of the same sex or else be actively involved with them.

During the Silla Dynasty, several noblemen and noblewomen are recorded to have engaged in homosexual activity and expressed their love for a person of the same sex. Among these is King Hyegong. In addition, the hwarang (Hangul: 화랑; Hanja: 花郞), also known as the "Flowering Knights" or the "Flowering Boys", were an elite group of male Silla warriors, famous for their homoeroticism and femininity. The Samguk yusa, a collection of Korean legends, folktales and historical accounts, contains verses that reveal the homosexual nature of the hwarang.

During the Goryeo Dynasty, King Mokjong (980–1009) and King Gongmin (1325–1374) are both on record as having kept several wonchung ("male lovers") in their courts as "little-brother attendants" (chajewhi) who served as sexual partners. After the death of his wife, King Gongmin even went so far as to create a ministry whose sole purpose was to seek out and recruit young men from all over the country to serve in his court. Others, including King Chungseon, had long-term relationships with men. Those who were in same-sex relationships were referred to as yongyang jichong, whose translation has been subject to argument, but is generally viewed as meaning the "dragon and the sun".

In the Joseon Era, several noblemen and noblewomen are known to have had same-sex sexual relations, including Royal Noble Consort Sun-bin Bong who was the second consort of Munjong of Joseon and King Sejong's daughter-in-law who was banished after it was discovered that she was sleeping with one of her maids. During this period, there were travelling theater groups known as namsadang, which included underaged males called midong ("beautiful boys"). The troupes provided "various types of entertainment, including band music, song, masked dance, circus, and puppet plays," sometimes with graphic representations of same-sex intercourse. The namsandang were further separated in two groups; the "butch" members () and the "queens" ( or ).

The spread of Neo-Confucianism in South Korea shaped the moral system, the way of life, and social relations of Korean society. Neo-Confucianism emphasizes strict obedience to the social order and the family unit, which refers to a husband and wife. Homosexuality and same-sex relationships were viewed as disturbing this system and thus were perceived as "deviant" or "immoral". Since the 1910s, Neo-Confucianism has lost a lot of influence, though still today Confucian ideas and practices significantly define South Korean culture and society.

Homosexuality was officially declassified as "harmful and obscene" in 2003. In August 2017, the Supreme Court of Korea ordered the government to allow "Beyond the Rainbow" (), an LGBTQ rights foundation, to register as a charity with the Ministry of Justice. Without official registration, the foundation was unable to receive tax-deductible donations and operate in full compliance with the law. In 2014, the South Korean government voted in favor of a symbolic United Nations resolution aimed at combating discrimination against LGBTQ people.

COVID-19 related discrimination In May 2020, the government of Seoul relaxed COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and allowed bars and nightclubs to operate. In the days that followed, a cluster of new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the inner-city area of Itaewon, where an estimated 5700 people may have been exposed. These cases were eventually linked to bars and clubs that catered to gay men, fueling a backlash against the LGBTQ community that involved a marked increase in online harassment against members of the gay community as being immoral, and calls for LGBTQ events to close.

The situation also led to discussion about homophobia in South Korea, and the coronavirus contact surveillance program exposed personal details of LGBTQ people, accidentally outing them. Foreigners and expats also reported increased harassment following the outbreak.

The period saw a rise in doxing and harassment amongst users of gay dating apps, whose personal information was shared "for spreading coronavirus".

The Itaewon crowd crush had a negative effect on the numerous LGBTQ establishments catering for foreigners in the area, and prevented the revival of the district following the COVID lockdown.

Recognition of same-sex relationships

Same-sex marriages and civil unions are not legally recognized in South Korea. In October 2019, the Government of South Korea announced it would recognize the same-sex spouses of foreign diplomats, but it would not recognize the same-sex spouses of South Korean diplomats who serve overseas.

In October 2014, some members of the Democratic Party introduced a bill to recognize same-sex partnerships to the National Assembly. However, the bill was never brought to a vote.

In July 2015, actor Kim Jho Gwangsoo and his partner Kim Seung-Hwan filed a lawsuit seeking legal status for their marriage. The lawsuit was rejected by the Seoul Western District Court in May 2016 and by an appeals court in December 2016. The couple subsequently announced that they would bring their case to the Supreme Court.

In May 2019, Kim Gyu-Jin and her wife legally married and registered their marriage with the New York City Marriage Bureau. They later held a separate "factory wedding" ceremony in Seoul that November. A year later, in May 2020, to celebrate their first anniversary, Kim Gyu-Jin and her spouse attempted to register their marriage with the Jongno-gu Office in Seoul but were issued a "notice of non-repair" (refusal). Kim Gyu-Jin's experiences were featured on prime time by KBS, a Korean national broadcaster, and on the main news page of KakaoTalk, South Korea's leading messaging app. The public reaction was overwhelmingly negative. The KakaoTalk article reportedly received around 10,000 comments, with more than 80% being negative. The comments ranged from telling the couple to "Get out of Korea" to expressing fears that society and families would "fall apart" due to lesbian weddings. Due to the intensely malicious and threatening nature of many replies, Kim Gyu-Jin consulted a lawyer, pushed police to intervene with the portal sites, and ultimately sued the 100 most malicious commentators.

In January 2021, Seoul's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced plans to propose changes to civil and welfare regulations that would allow single parents and unmarried, cohabitating partners to be recognized as legal families. However, the ministry confirmed that these reforms would apply only to heterosexual couples. An official, speaking anonymously due to lack of media authorization, noted in an email that there had been "no discussion nor even a consideration about same-sex couples".

Supreme Court health insurance ruling