Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in South Korea face prejudice, discrimination, and other barriers to social inclusion not experienced by their non-LGBTQ counterparts.

[3] South Korean national law does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions,[4] nor does it protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

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.

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.

South Korean homosexuals, however, make frequent use of the term ibanin (이반인; 異般人, 二般人) which can be translated as "different type person", and is usually shortened to iban (이반; 異般).

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.

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.

[18] In August 2017, the Supreme Court ordered the government to allow "Beyond the Rainbow" (Korean: 비온뒤무지개재단), an LGBT rights foundation, to register as a charity with the Ministry of Justice.

[21] The situation also led to discussion about homophobia in South Korea, and the coronavirus contact surveillance program exposing personal details of LGBTQ people and accidentally outing them.

[24] 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.

[34] In February 2020, a man in a same-sex relationship, Kim Yong-min, successfully registered his partner, So Seong-wook, as his spouse, allowing So to access his employer's health insurance plan.

[43] "While this decision is a major milestone, the case itself is a sobering reminder of the lengthy judicial processes that same-sex couples must endure to secure basic rights that should be universally guaranteed," Amnesty International said in a statement.

[46] In the last week of September 2023, multiple media outlets reported that the National Health Insurance Service has rejected requests from same-sex couples to receive spousal coverage.

In 2019, politician Ahn Sang-soo introduced another bill to repeal the protection for sexual orientation in the National Human Rights Commission Act and to restrict legal recognition of gender to a biological basis.

June Green, a trans-male bartender from Seoul, told NBC News reporter Michael Mitsanas that "because we still don't have a nondiscrimination bill, I often feel threatened to just walk on the street.

[66] Rainbow Action works to address several issues within the Korean community including perspectives on conversion therapy, HIV-related stigma, hate crimes, intersex persons, and more.

On November 24, 2022, the Supreme Court's en banc panel ruled that transgender individuals with minor children can have their gender legally recognized, provided they are not in a marital relationship.

Yoo - who asked that NBC News withhold his full name, citing a fear of retribution - said he must "erase the queer to act masculine" while working his corporate job in Seoul, adding that he's "afraid" of what his coworkers would do "if they find out I'm gay."

June Green, a trans-male bartender in Seoul, said he must make "a deeper voice whenever I leave my house, and even then, people still approach me to ask if I'm a guy or girl.

A 2014 survey conducted by the GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation revealed that 54% of LGBT Korean youths reported being harassed previously by their classmates and fellow students.

[108] A recent 2017 study insinuated the growth of a "gay lifestyle" community in Jong-no, a popular area in Seoul, where LGBT individuals feel safe in relatively heteronormative places.

[109] Though the study only looked at a well-known café, the famous Gay Bean, there are many other places in the Jong-no area that are considered straight but are growing increasingly welcoming of non-straight individuals.

In 2010, the soap opera Life Is Beautiful (Korean: 인생은 아름다워) premiered on SBS broadcast TV, becoming the first prime-time drama to explore a gay male couple's relationship as their unwitting families set them up on dates with women.

"High Heel") is a 2014 South Korean noir film written and directed by Jang Jin,[117] starring Cha Seung-won as a transgender homicide detective.

[125] XY She, a KBS Joy cable talk show about male-to-female (MTF) transgender individuals, was virtually cancelled after its first episode due to public opposition.

It is Netflix's most-watched series, becoming the top-viewed program in 94 countries and attracting more than 142 million member households and amassing 1.65 billion viewing hours during its first four weeks from launch.

In 2015, following protests by conservative Christian groups, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency banned the event citing public safety concerns and traffic disruption as the reasons.

[161] Public opinion on same-sex marriage (2023) based on Pew Research Center[162] South Koreans have become significantly more accepting of homosexuality and LGBT rights since 2010 and the onward decade,[163] even if conservative attitudes remain dominant.

[163] In April 2013, a Gallup poll, which was commissioned by a conservative Christian group, found that 25% of South Koreans supported same-sex marriage, while 67% opposed it and 8% did not know or refused to answer.

[37][187] As of 2020, South Korea has no national law preventing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which places it at the bottom of the list of OECD countries in regard to LGBT rights.