Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon wants same-xxx marriage in Korea as first in
Asia
A gay pride parade in Seoul, South Korea, last summer was blocked
by hundreds of Christian protesters laying in the street. Nearly one-third of
South Korea's population belongs to a Christian church that says it's a sin to
be gay.
Yet more than 10,000 people showed up for the "Love Conquers
Hate"-themed parade, sponsored in part by Google Korea.
It was a
flashpoint for two conflicting forces in the city of 10 million --
traditionalists versus new tech and the societal change it represents. Both
sides pressured city officials as the parade's permit was approved, rescinded
and then reissued.
The parade also tested the political resilience of
Seoul's liberal mayor, Park Won-soon. It was election season and Park faced a
conservative challenger who used homophobic rhetoric to criticize Park for
allowing an anti-homophobia campaign to appear on city buses and
billboards.
Park won re-election and is now considered a top contender
for president in 2017. His staff invited me to interview him when he recently
visited San Francisco to meet with tech leaders and seek venture capital
investments for Seoul startups.
Park, who started his career as a
human-rights lawyer, immediately asked about my background at the American Civil
Liberties Union. I told him I worked on social-justice issues ranging from LGBT
rights to immigration.
His interest in the ACLU made me curious how far
he was willing to lead on human rights for LGBT South Koreans as the possible
next president of the country.
"I personally agree with the rights of
homoxxxuals," Park said. "But the Protestant churches are very powerful in
Korea. It isn't easy for politicians. It's in the hands of activists to expand
the universal concept of human rights to include homoxxxuals. Once they persuade
the people, the politicians will follow. It's in process now."
I asked
him if Taiwan might be the first Asian country to allow same-xxx marriage since
the Taiwanese legislature is considering a bill to legalize it.
"I hope
Korea will be the first," Park said. "Many homoxxxual couples in Korea are
already together. They are not legally accepted yet, but I believe the Korean
Constitution allows it. We are guaranteed the right to the pursuit of happiness.
Of course, there may be different interpretations to what that pursuit
means."
I told Park his remarks reminded me of an ACLU conundrum: How to
protect the constitutional rights of people who have opposing beliefs. Letting a
same-xxx couple marry while allowing a religion to call it sinful is the
hallmark of a truly free society.