South Korea Supreme Court Upholds Landmark LGBTQ Ruling
TimeJUL 2024
South Korea Court Approves Health Benefits for Same-Sex Couples
Image copyright: Chung Sung-Jun/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
While this is a huge victory, South Korea still lags well behind other wealthy countries in terms of protections for the LGBTQ+ community. A small but active group of Christian organizations have been able to stymie any progress toward equality in recent years, but this ruling may show that the right of same-sex couples to live as equals cannot be ignored any longer.
Right narrative
This ruling was very narrowly tailored, and does not change the status quo in South Korea. Polling shows that most Koreans do not support same-sex marriage, and it is up to the people, not Western NGOs and the media, to dictate when and if South Korea extends that privilege to gay couples. The socially conservative nature of Korean society must be respected.