Gay rights in north korea

Jang admitted he had never been aroused by the opposite sex, and his brother promptly sent him to a doctor. Park Jeong-Won, a law professor at Seoul's Kookmin University, says that he is not aware of any explicit North Korean law against gay and lesbian relationships. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in North Korea may face social challenges due to their sexuality or gender identity.

We should find a way to be happy for each other,''' Jang says. But it wasn't until his wedding night, aged 27, that this made his life difficult. A defector from the country explained why. The defectors all told her they were certain that anyone found exploring same-sex relationships would be ostracised at the very least, possibly even executed. It never occurred to Jang, or his family, that there could be another reason for his lack of interest.

‘I knew I had to leave’ Jang says he could cope with limited food or clothing in North Korea but having nothing to dream for left him miserable. Four years later - his wife still not pregnant - one of Jang's brothers began to quiz him. But articulating, or exploring, what it was they did feel, was likely to have been impossible without a frame of reference.

Advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights in North Korea remains limited due to the country’s isolation and lack of access. ‘I knew I had to leave’ Jang says he could cope with limited food or clothing in North Korea but having nothing to dream for left him miserable. International human rights organizations focus on broader issues such as political oppression and human rights abuses, often leaving LGBTQ+ concerns underrepresented.

But he adds that the state's laws against extramarital relations and breaching social mores would probably be co-opted into prosecuting any gay sexual act. Jang Yeong-jin had never found women attractive. Homosexuality is not illegal in statute, but instances of criminalization and execution for homosexuality have been reported.

LGBT Rights in North Korea: homosexuality, gay marriage, gay adoption, serving in the military, sexual orientation discrimination protection, changing legal gender, donating blood, age of consent, and more. Jang Yeong-jin's remarkable story as North Korea's only openly gay defector was covered by the international media after he published his autobiography.

So Jang filed for divorce. While South Korea has an LGBT+ community, even among K-Pop idols, whether they’re open about it or keeping their sexuality private, that concept doesn’t exist at all in North Korea. Homosexuality is not illegal in statute, but instances of criminalization and execution for homosexuality have been reported. Now, almost a quarter of a century after fleeing the country, he tells the BBC that he plans to marry his American boyfriend.

While South Korea has an LGBT+ community, even among K-Pop idols, whether they’re open about it or keeping their sexuality private, that concept doesn’t exist at all in North Korea. In fact adults of the same sex often hold hands in the street, he says. If someone is seen running to greet another same sex friend, it's assumed that's just because they have such a close friendship. Another academic in Seoul, Kim Seok-hyang, has interviewed dozens of defectors on the subject, and says not one of them had even heard of the concept.

But this process is not straightforward in North Korea. Jang was released from hospital with a clean bill of health - all the medical tests set in motion by his brother's intervention showed there was nothing physically wrong. North Korea opposed both the UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, which called for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality, and the exclusion of sexual orientation as discriminatory grounds for execution.

At one point, Jang was admitted to hospital for a month of tests and got to know gay rights in north korea of the other patients. A defector from the country explained why. One man Jang had served with in the military visited him several times after they were discharged. Permission needs to be granted by the courts, and they prioritise the family unit, says law professor Park Jeong-Won.

Although the couple did eventually consummate their marriage, sex was rare. LGBT Rights in North Korea: homosexuality, gay marriage, gay adoption, serving in the military, sexual orientation discrimination protection, changing legal gender, donating blood, age of consent, and more.

Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans think about sexual and gender identity? “Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom left the DPRK within the last few years.

Jang now thinks his experience of being misunderstood was by no means unique. Jang felt intensely uncomfortable. He confided that his wedding night, too, had been a disaster - he couldn't bring himself to even hold his wife's hand. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in North Korea may face social challenges due to their sexuality or gender identity.