hankyoreh

Sept. 8. (by Kim Jeong-hyo

By Kim Hyo-jin and Park Bo-mi, staff reporters

A prominent gay couple whose marriage ceremony in September drew major national attention now plans to submit a marriage registration application to their district office.

But with the office maintaining a policy of not accepting applications for same-sex marriages, a legal battle could follow.

The announcement was made on Dec. 6 by the Network Association for the Security of Sexual Minority Family Members, an umbrella organization made up of five LGBT rights and legal groups, including Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea (SLHRK), Chingu Sai and three others.

According to the announcement, film director Kim-Jo Gwang-su, 48, and his husband, Rainbow Factory director Kim Seung-hwan, 29, will be submitting the application to Seodaemun District Office in Seoul for Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.

The couple, who held a public wedding ceremony back in September, has reportedly spent the past few months consulting with LGBT rights and legal groups over the relevant laws on marriage applications. They plan to take legal action if the district office does not accept the application.

“The right to register your marriage is an obvious right that every human should enjoy,” said Kim. “Acknowledging same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is the tide of our times.”

The Seodaemun District Office plans to reject the application. Even if the application is taken by hand, it would not be processed.

“We’ve already held discussions with the court,” said an official on condition of anonymity. “There are no regulations on marriage applications between same sex individuals, so we can’t present a different response until the law has been changed.”

Meanwhile, the association plans to use the application to launch a more general campaign for LGBT family rights.

“LGBT people do make families, but they aren’t recognized by law, and the people end up suffering discrimination in areas like social insurance,” said SLHRK steering committee director Kwak E-kyung.

Kwak said the association is set for an official launch in January 2014, with a campaign scheduled in which LGBT individuals will testify publicly about discrimination.

The number of countries that recognize same-sex marriages is growing worldwide, with France, Belgium, Canada and Spain among the many countries where the practice is legal.

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