Korea (South)

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Score on the GALE Checklist

Item	Discouraged	No policy	No data	Comment
1. Full access to schools?		x		no comments
2. Freedom of self expression?	x			no comments
3. Protection against bullying?		x		no comments
4. No drop-out?		x		no comments
5. Equal performance?		x		no comments
6. Is there public information?		x		LGBT issues are becoming more generally known and even supported to some degree in ertainment nd cultural area. Actually the very first open gay marriage is about to happen on Sep. 7(2013), and not all reactions are negative. In most other areas of the society, however, the ethical norm strongly adheres to heterosexual love and is mostly against sexual diversity and identities. There has been some efforts to provide students with nondiscriminatory sex/gender education in schools through text books and protect LGBT students' human rights by enacting student human rights ordinance, but usually these efforts are attacked/pounced on by conservative educators and Christians.
7. Attention in school resources?	x			Enacted in certain regions of the country and at times including the protection of LGBT students, the Students Rights Ordinance must be implemented nationwide, without hindrance by the government, schools, teachers, parents, and conservative religious groups, and with provisions regarding LGBT students. The government must also be pressured to legislate a legally binding and inclusive anti-discrimination act, which would then be the first law in the country that can actually punish discrimination against LGBT people.
8. Resources for LGBT students?		x		Because education up to secondary schools is based on rote learning and endless examinations, there is little room for critical thinking, independent research, and creative activities. Consequently, students are literally fed an overwhelming amount of information that is not always up to date in terms of sensitivity to human rights, respect for diversity, and religious/sexual/gender/racial/ethnic/cultural tolerance.
9. Support services open to LGBT?	x			no comments
10. Peer-learning opportunities?		x		Though the country's civil law does not prohibit, punish, or otherwise disadvantage LGBT people, any discrimination actually suffered by an individual cannot be addressed officially due to the absence of anti-discrimination and anti-hatred laws with legal binding force. Consequently, it is only up to an individual's.
11. Is staff supportive?		x		The country is becoming more diverse racially/ethnically/religiously, and the demand and need for gender equality have increased. The government therefore has tried to include
12. Is staff competent to teach?			x	no comments
13. Is staff competent to support?			x	no comments
14. Supportive school environment?			x	no comments
15. Employment protection for staff?		x		no comments

The score is 20% forbidden (denying), 80% discouraged or no policy (ambiguous), 0% encouraged or supportive (supportive). We score this country therefore as ambiguous.
This report is based on two respondents, who completed the checklist in august 2013.

Relevant Conventions

Convention against Discrimination in Education	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
Convention on Technical and Vocational Education	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
Convention on the Rights of the Child	not signed	signed	ratified	succession
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women	not signed	signed	ratified	succession

Links to interesting articles

GALE strategic workshop in South Korea (May 2013)
Korean Court's Anti-Gay Decision (Article on the South Korean Court upholding a ban on gays in military, Korea Herald, 31 March 2011).
The CEDAW Committee: Concluding Observations from the 49th Session (August, 2011)

Members

This page was last updated on 18 July 2017.