Webinar Report: LGBTQ+ in South Korea and Learning Opportunities from Taiwan
Alice Baravelli, Nerea Alvarez Ariztegui, Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen, Yi-Chieh Chen and Lars Vargö
Contextual Background
The Stockholm Korea and Taiwan Centers of the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), alongside Macoll Consulting Group, held a one-hour webinar in celebration of Pride Month, on June 9, 2026, during which LGBTQ+ rights in South Korea and Taiwan were discussed. Horim Yi, Co-Executive Director of Rainbow Action Korea and Executive Director of Marriage for All Korea; and Joyce Teng, Board Member of ILGA Asia (the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association – Asia), were our two speakers, with Macoll’s Senior Associate Jayoung Son as the keynote speaker and ISDP’s Josephine Ørgaard Rasmussen, Korea Center project manager, serving as the moderator. The webinar’s objective was to identify tangible policy proposals for how to promote the rights of LGBTQ+ people in South Korea while comparing the existing political and legislative landscapes in Taiwan, with the aim of laying the groundwork for collaboration in the pursuit of promoting LGBTQ+ rights.
The webinar was recorded and made available on YouTube. This report summarizes the main takeaways from the webinar in order to, among others, pinpoint some of the underlying factors stalling South Korea’s legislative advancement on LGBTQ+ rights. Korean and Mandarin versions are accessible after the English version.
The Korea Foundation’s generous sponsorship made the webinar and report possible.
LGBTQ+ Rights: A Matter of Mature Democracy and Human Rights
As South Korea and Taiwan advance their democratic trajectories, the ongoing effort to improve LGBTQ+ rights will be imperative in this endeavor. LGBTQ+ rights are essential to a mature democracy because they serve as a key indicator of a society’s commitment to individual liberty, pluralism, and the rule of law. Protecting marginalized groups maintains the democratic ideal that all people are equal before the law, preventing majority power from becoming an instrument of oppression for minorities. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ rights and universal human rights are the ultimate stress test for any democracy. Consequently, improving LGBTQ+ rights is a critical strategic and domestic imperative in both South Korea and Taiwan.
