The Seoul queer parade drew tens of thousands of people to the streets on July 1 in an event that stood defiant against conservative officials and groups that have pulled out all the stops to prevent Pride parades from taking place across South Korea.
The battle for LGBTQ+ rights in South Korea escalated this year when Seoul city officials replaced the Seoul Queer Culture Festival—which has held the country’s largest LGBTQ+ parade at Seoul Plaza since 2015 except during two years due to COVID-19—with a Christian youth concert. In June, hundreds of Daegu city officials and protesters backed by their conservative mayor disrupted the Daegu Queer Festival, resulting in a physical clash with the police.
The struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in South Korea is emblematic of a wider global struggle for LGBTQ+ rights around the world. A 2021 study from the Multi-Donor LGBTI Global Human…
