Fridae

Seoul's fourth annual queer festival will start on June 19 with a parade from Jongmyo Park, a district known for its underground gay scene since the 1960s, followed by other events including an art exhibition, a debate on gay marriages, a movie festival and a party at G Spot in Itaewon on June 19.

Organisers expect attendance to the events which run till June 30 to swell after 50 people marched in its inaugural the parade held in Itaewon. Last year, about 300 people marched in the parade while some 200 or so onlookers on the sidelines.

Soh Jun-myeon, a festival official told a local paper that although cooperation from city officials was hard to come by, "it does get smoother to produce" with each succeeding year.

The art exhibition, titled body.q, will feature photographs, paintings and installation art by Nana Queer Star, Moguno, Seo Han-ju, Jang Mi-ra and Ji Ni-a. It will run from June 17 to 24 at Style Cube Jinnari near Hongik University.

Under the slogan "Liberty and Equality for All," a debate would be held on June 25 at the Korean Artist Federation in Nakwon-dong to discuss international trends in legalising gay marriages and whether gay marriages in Korea are a possibility, inspired in part by a same-sex couple who recently had their marriage application turned down.

The film festival to be held at Ilju Art House and Art Cube in Gwanghwamun features Taiwanese movie Good Bye Dragon Inn, directed by Ming-liang Tsai; 2003 Taiwanese movie Fei Yue Qin Hai, also known as Love Me, if You Can by Alice Wang; 1996 Hong Kong film A Queer Story and recent Taiwanese blockbuster Formula 17 among others.