Fridae

Results from a recent Gallup poll has over the past decade shown significant changes in attitudes among South Koreans regarding equality rights and issues affecting the local LGBT community.

The majority of South Korea still opposes gay marriage although there has been a, according to a new survey.

The Gallup Korea poll whose results were released Dec 12 showed that 35 percent of respondents were in favor of legalizing gay marriage. This was more than double the proportion 13 years ago. Opposition to marriage between same-sex couples also fell from 67 percent to 56 percent during the same period.

It said 85 percent of respondents were in favor of equal opportunities for gay people in the workplace and that the same number said they were against firing a gay employee if his or her sexuality became known.

Moreover, Some 67 percent of the respondents said they had no objections to personalities in the broadcasting sector coming out as gay. This was much higher than the 47 percent polled in 2001.

However, there was less change in thinking about the causes of homosexuality. The most cited reason was still education and social environment at 41%, compared with 47% 13 years ago.

The poll surveyed 1,005 respondents via telephone using a random digit dialing of cell phones. Of the total number of  respondents, 17 percent were between 19-29 years, 19 percent in their 30s, 22 percent in their 40s, 20 percent in their 50s, and 21 percent were 60 plus, according to thekimchiqueen.blogspot.com. The margin of error was estimated at plus or minus 3.1 percent and at a 95 percent confidence interval.

South Korea has seen a recent increase in public awareness largely due to a group of select few celebrities trying to further equality by coming out and by an increase in gay-themed entertainment. 

Yet many gays, lesbians and transgender men and women choose not to share their identity with others as they tend to face harassment and because general awareness of LGBT people has remained low.

This is despite male and female same-sex relations being legal in South Korea even though it is not specifically mentioned in either the country’s Constitution or Civil Penal Code.

Local LGBT activists say change has been a long time coming for this socially conservative nation that before the late 1980s was ruled by dictatorial regimes and citizens enjoyed few civil liberties, never mind sexual rights.