Gay Marriage in Korea: Coming Sooner Than You Think

Dear Korean, 

Given that U.S. just legalized same-sex marriage for all states, how is gay marriage progressing in Korea?

Gwyneth

It has been nearly eight years since TK last touched upon the issue of homosexuality in Korea in this blog. Considering the major step that the United States took in legalizing same sex marriage, it is high time to revisit this issue. This is not because TK thinks that whatever America does just matters more. He is fully aware that more than 17 countries around the world, including Canada, South Africa, much of Europe and much of South America, have legalized same sex marriage before the United States did. 

But if one focuses on the prospect of same sex marriage in Korea, the fact that U.S. legalized same sex marriage does matter more. Because of the historical peculiarities of South Korea--a country that was, in many ways, created by the United States--Koreans have always looked to U.S. as a model of modernity and democracy to emulate. When debating social policies in Korea, the argument that "This is how Americans do it" tends to carry a great deal of weight.

In fact, America's legalization of same sex marriage puts Korean opponents of same sex marriage in quite a pickle. Like most other democracies, Korea has conservatives and liberals, and Korea's conservatives tend to be more pro-U.S. Some Korean conservatives are so rabidly pro-U.S. that, when U.S. ambassador to Korea suffered a knife attack, they organized a show of music and dance wishing for his speedy recovery as if they were trying to appease an angry god. (To be sure, most Koreans and Korea's media, including even the pro-American ones, roundly mocked these people.)

Dance performance by a conservative group
following the knife attack against Ambassador Mark Lippert
(source)

The trouble, however, is that a sizable chunk of Korea's conservatives are also Protestants who strenuously oppose gay marriage, and homosexuality in general. The fact that their totemic guardian U.S. of A. has legalized same sex marriage has put them in a very awkward position. For example, because the U.S. Embassy in Korea has formally expressed its support for Korea's Pride Parade for the last several years, these conservatives groups were forced to (reluctantly) denounce America.

Christian group stages protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
The placard says: "We denounce U.S., spreading the bad culture that is homosexuality."
(source)

Indeed, the same "crazy group dance people" organized the same dance show to show their opposition against the most recent Pride Parade in Seoul, which fortuitously happened the day after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. The irony was particularly delicious because Ambassador Mark Lippert, for whose health that these people prayed as if he were a demigod, was in attendance to support the Pride Parade.

Opponents of homosexuality puts on a protest performance.
(source)

Aside: apparently, the drum beats of the anti-homosexuality people were so vigorous that some of the Pride Parade attendees had a better time dancing to them instead of the official music showcase.

(More after the jump.)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.




What is the prospect of gay marriage in Korea? Eight years ago, TK wrote this:

So where is Korea now with respect to homosexuality? Certainly, there has been progress – if taking ten steps in Manhattan toward downtown counts as a progress towards eventually reaching Miami. As meager as it is, the Korean likes to see hope from the little things. But the remaining distance does appear vast, and any gains quite inadequate. Extreme ignorance, such as equating gays as pedophiles, reigns supreme.

The events that has happened since TK wrote those words have made him much more sanguine. To be sure, the numbers in Korea remain grim. In a survey conducted in December 2014, 58 percent of Koreans opposed legalizing same sex marriage, while 33 percent were in favor. But consider this: in a 2001 survey, only 17 percent of Koreans were in favor of same sex marriage legalization. The U.S. experience has shown that opinions change very, very quickly when it comes to same sex marriage. Considering that the support for same sex marriage in Korea nearly doubled in 13 years, there are reasons to believe that the same, rapid change of attitude will happen in Korea as well.

This is particularly true because the elements in the U.S. society that proved to be favorable to recognizing same sex marriage are not only present in Korean society, but in stronger forms. In the U.S., the tide really began turning when the argument in favor of same sex marriage went from libertarian to communitarian. That is to say: until around mid-1990s, the argument in favor of same sex marriage tended to be "What goes on in the bedroom of consenting adults is no one else's business"--a libertarian stance. This made some headway, but what pushed gay marriage over the hump in the U.S. was the communitarian argument, that "Homosexual union deserves equal social dignity as heterosexual union does." The majority opinion of Obergefell v. Hodges, penned by Justice Anthony Kennedy, is the ultimate validation of the communitarian argument in favor of same sex marriage, as Justice Kennedy began and ended the opinion with a lovely paean that stressed the importance of marriage in maintaining human dignity.

Right now, Korea is still very far away from legalizing same sex marriage. Even the basic consensus regarding homosexuality--that, for example, it is an innate and immutable trait--is still yet to develop in Korea. But one must recall that as recently as 15-20 years ago, it was extremely common for Koreans to claim that there simply were no gays in Korea. In 20 years, the public mind of Korea went from extreme ignorance to some level of awareness regarding homosexuality. There is no reason to believe that this trend will slow.

Korea only needs to develop some level of consensus about the facts surrounding homosexuality--that it is not some kind of psychosis, and that there are many, many gay Koreans. Once that stage is past, gay marriage in Korea may progress surprisingly quickly, because Korea is deeply communitarian. In particular, the parental instinct for children's well-being, and the desire for family formation, are some of the strongest animating forces in Korea. Once it is established in Korean public's mind that homosexuality is an innate and immutable character, the communitarian instinct will go into overdrive. As many heterosexual Koreans can attest, no other question occupies Korean parents' minds quite like: when will my children get married and give us grandchildren? TK expects that this concern is strong enough to push aside whatever hangups that Koreans may have about the type of relationship that they are not accustomed to seeing.

To be sure, it definitely does not feel like gay marriage will be legal in Korea any time soon. Deep ignorance and open bigotry regarding homosexuality are still jarringly common in Korea. But if we are being honest with ourselves, it felt the same way in America just 10 to 15 years ago. For proponents of gay marriage, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful and press on.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

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