Yun Hyon-seok

[4][6] He used writing as an escape,[citation needed] something he carried with him after he dropped out of high school and moved to Seoul's Dongdaemun District.

[4][3] A devout Catholic, Yun struggled immensely with the Church's rejection of homosexuality and spent much of his time arguing against misconceptions and cruelty.

[6][4] Yun was dependent on green tea, rosary beads, tobacco, alcohol, foundation, and sleeping pills,[6] which became known metaphorically as his "six friends.

[citation needed] Despite facing constant homophobia, including from his family, who attempted to pressure him into being heterosexual, he wrote in October 2002: "I do not think I'm abnormal...

He often used satire in his poems and prose and wrote at length about censorship in South Korea, prejudice, disappointment, conservatism, and outdated social norms.

In late March, he became a full-time employee of the organisation Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea after more than two years of volunteer work and participation.

He also attended anti-war and pro-peace rallies in the Jongno District, including in opposition to Korean troops being sent overseas to serve in the Iraq War.

[19] Yun publicly criticized the church's stance in an article in Hangyeorye on April 13, using his real name,[20] before deciding to withdraw from Catholic society entirely.

[3][4] On April 24, 2003, Yun wrote a six-page suicide note[21][8] that described the discrimination he had faced, his contempt for homophobic Christians, and the cruelty of homophobia.

[citation needed] Following his death, the South Korean government began the process to reverse their decision to censor gay media.