SOUTH KOREA: Gay South Korean film director ties the knot

Record ID: 277966

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: Gay South Korean film director ties the knot
  • Date: 7th September 2013
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (SEPTEMBER 7, 2013) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) SOUTH KOREAN FILM DIRECTOR KIM JHO GWANG-SOO (LEFT) AND HIS PARTNER KIM SEUNG-HWAN (RIGHT) HUGGING EACH OTHER IN FRONT OF MEDIA, POSING FOR PHOTO HUGGING VARIOUS OF KIM JHO AND KIM PUTTING THEIR FINGERS INTO SHAPE OF "HEART" KIM SPEAKING AT NEWS BRIEFING BEFORE THEIR MARRIAGE (SOUNDBITE) (
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Entertainment,Quirky,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVABU3W1PDAWBEI1X4IWM1B2STLK
  • Story Text: South Korean film director Kim Jho Gwang-soo and his long-term partner hold their marriage ceremony against all odds, aiming to pry open the closet in this conservative Asian country where homosexuality is still taboo.

    An openly gay South Korean film director Kim Jho Gwang-soo on Saturday (September 7) defied the odds to tie the knot with his long-term partner, aiming to pry open the closet in this conservative Asian country where homosexuality is still taboo.
    Dressed in white uniform, Kim and his partner of nine years Kim Seung-hwan staged the wedding ceremony after the director announced plans to marry in May, becoming a trailblazer in same-sex unions in this conservative Asian country.
    "Now people must call us a married couple, because we had a wedding. It is important whether or not we become a legally bound couple, but more importantly we want to let people know that gays can marry too in our society," said the 49-year-old Kim at a press conference before the wedding started while holding his partner's hand tightly.
    Hundreds of people watched the symbolic ceremony which took place on a bridge over a stream in downtown Seoul, decorated with rainbow flags.
    Kim Jho's marriage is not formally recognised under South Korea law.
    While some South Korean lawmakers have pushed the country to adopt a comprehensive anti-discrimination law that would embrace gay rights, amendments have foundered due to conservative Christian legislators who oppose recognition.
    "I heard some Christian organizations stand against same-sex marriage. But I don't think they should intervene. I think if they love each other, it really doesn't matter at all," said a 21-year-old visitor Kang Joong-ki.
    Some said the same-sex marriage is still hard for some people to accept
    "I think there still is a social difficulty to accept the homosexual culture," said a 49-year-old man Yoo Jae-yeon.
    The two-hour long wedding, held under the name of "Kim Jho Gwang-soo and Kim Seung-hwan's Righteous Wedding," went smoothly, though a 54-year-old man, who identified himself as a church elder, rushed onto the stage and poured food waste on members of a choir before the couple read the wedding vows.
    Kim said he will apply to get his marriage legally registered after the ceremony, just like many others do, however, their marriage will stay outside the law as same-sex marriages are not recognised under Korean law.
    Although homosexuality is not illegal in Korea, the pressure to marry someone of the opposite sex to continue the family blood line is strong and leads many gay people to hide their sexual identity.
    Kim has directed a handful of films that were well received by domestic audiences and came out in 2005 during a screening for one of them. When not producing movies, he works for gay and lesbians rights advocacy.
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