On the same day, anti-gay groups held a counter-rally, crowding downtown Seoul.
The 25th Queer Festival was held in the area around Yeongguk-daero from 11 am on the 1st. Participants of the event, representing various ages, nationalities and religions, participated in the early summer event, when the maximum temperature can reach 30 degrees.
In the heat, they walked through the city shouting the event's slogan, "Yes, Queer." On this day, participants enjoyed the event booths prepared by various countries and religions.
The European Union delegation and embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, the United States and other countries promoted their country's queer culture and distributed merchandise such as rainbow tattoo stickers.
In the religious community, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism's Social and Labor Committee has wrapped five-colored strings around the wrists of sexual minorities, symbolizing a society without discrimination, while the Catholic Human Rights Commission has promoted rainbow stickers and
Ribbons were distributed and commemorative photos were taken with the participants. The Seoul Queer Cultural Festival Organizing Committee, which organized the event, announced the opening of the event and offered their condolences to the city of Seoul for refusing to provide space.
Yang Seong-woo, chairman of the organizing committee, said, "We tried to rent a venue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event, but were turned down four times for various reasons. Today, we are very sorry for the discrimination we have suffered.
Let's prove with our whole bodies and in our own ways that there is no one who is worthy of being queer.
"So we decided to create this flag," he said, adding, "Let's walk proudly through the center of Seoul waving the five-colored bright flag."
The organizing committee and approximately 35,000 event participants will hold a press conference at Myeongdong Cathedral and the Korean Embassy in Seoul from 4:30 p.m.
The march began at the Bank of Korea and Seoul Square. The reactions of the people watching the march were mixed. Margaret (69), who was visiting Korea from San Francisco, said, "In the United States,
"Queerness is very familiar, it's actually quite normal," he said. "There is still prejudice in Korea, but that's really unfortunate, and proper education should be provided."
On the other hand, Jeong Eun-young (60) said, "I didn't know there were so many (sexual minorities) and I understand them," but added, "We are too old and we don't understand each other.
"It's fine to have fun by yourself, but I don't think it's okay to hold large gatherings," said Noh Seung-hwan (65).
On the same day, a civic group called "Sacred Breakwater" held a rally against the Queer Cultural Festival on Sejong-daero in Jung-gu. Participants in the rally protested the violation of the law banning homosexuality and discrimination.
In a press release, the Sacred Breakwater said, "The Seoul Queer Festival Organizing Committee is once again moving forward with the event to promote anti-discrimination law and sexual revolution," and "We are running this event in the name of the people.
The organizers of the Queer Cultural Festival estimated that about 150,000 people attended the event, causing traffic jams on nearby roads.
According to STEM, as of 5 p.m., traffic congestion occurred on roads near the event site, including Sejong-daero and Post Office Road. Police set up variable lanes around the event site and the march route,
About 190 traffic police were deployed to move vehicles and guide pedestrians.
2024/06/02 07:34 KST
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