Thousands of South Koreans celebrate Pride despite ‘nonsensical’ ban on usual venue

This year’s Pride Parade was denied permission to gather at the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, where the main festivities have traditionally been held

Same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in Asia’s fourth largest economy, where nearly a quarter of its 52 million population is Christian

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South Korea’s Pride Parade, marking its 25th anniversary and one of the largest in Asia, was denied permission to gather at the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, where the main festivities have traditionally been held. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:35pm, 1 Jun 2024

Tens of thousands of LGBTQ South Koreans and their supporters gathered in central Seoul for annual Pride celebrations on Saturday, despite the event’s traditional venue being banned by authorities for the second consecutive year.

Same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in Asia’s fourth largest economy, and activists have long emphasised the need for legislation outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

This year’s Pride Parade, marking its 25th anniversary and one of the largest in Asia, was denied permission to gather at the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, where the main festivities have traditionally been held.

Seoul’s conservative mayor Oh Se-hoon has said he “personally can’t agree with homosexuality”, but municipal authorities blamed a scheduling conflict and said the venue had already been reserved for an outdoor event themed around books.

It instead took place in the streets in central Seoul, with companies and organisations including the US embassy, Ikea, and Amnesty International taking part to show support.

Participants in the Seoul Queer Culture Festival in Seoul. Photo: Reuters

Areas surrounding Seoul’s major thoroughfares Namdaemun-ro and Ujeongguk-ro were packed with excited participants wearing rainbow-themed costumes and make-up, some blowing bubbles and many waving orange balloons – the theme colour for this year’s edition.

Thousands of South Koreans celebrate Pride despite ‘nonsensical’ ban on usual venue

This year’s Pride Parade was denied permission to gather at the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, where the main festivities have traditionally been held Same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in Asia’s fourth largest economy, where nearly a quarter of its 52 million population is Christian

This year’s Pride Parade was denied permission to gather at the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, where the main festivities have traditionally been held

Same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in Asia’s fourth largest economy, where nearly a quarter of its 52 million population is Christian