“Son, I love you just the way you are.”
Kim Ji-in, an activist with the Parents of LGBTQ People in Korea, first attended the Queer Culture Festival in 2014, holding a sign with that message in Seoul’s Sinchon neighborhood. (Image provided by Kim Ji-in)
SEOUL, June 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of South Korean parents of LGBTQ children gathered in central Seoul on Saturday, offering free hugs and messages of unconditional love at the annual Seoul Queer Culture Festival — a gesture both symbolic and deeply personal in a society still struggling with LGBTQ acceptance.
Under banners reading “Son, I love you just the way you are,” members of Parents of LGBTQ People in Korea, a nationwide advocacy group, set up booths along Namdaemun and Ujeongguk-ro, offering emotional support to festivalgoers and calling for a future where no one fears coming out.
For Kim Jin-yi, a 56-year-old mother who first joined the festival in 2014 after learning her teenage son was gay, the journey began with confusion and grief. “I cried. I told him, ‘This doesn’t feel right to me,’” Kim recalled in a phone interview. “But over time, through meeting other parents and educating myself, I began to truly understand and support my son.”
Since then, Kim has attended the festival every year, standing in solidarity not only with her child but also with LGBTQ people who are unable to live openly. “What parents go through is nothing compared to what these children endure,” she said. “They live exposed to hatred all their lives — we must be their strength.”
On the afternoon of June 1 last year, participants of the Seoul Queer Parade marched from Jonggak Station in Jongno District, moving along Samil-daero toward Euljiro. (Yonhap)
This year’s event also drew participation from parents like Oh Eun-ji, 54, who traveled from Daegu to take part. Oh’s child, in their 20s, identifies as genderqueer and has legally transitioned to male. Despite a relatively accepting household, Oh said her child struggled for years to share their identity. “Even when your family is open-minded, society’s judgment weighs so heavily that many remain silent.”
The emotional toll, she said, is not just personal — it’s systemic. “There are people who can’t even confide in their own families,” Oh said. “So when we greet festivalgoers with a simple ‘Have a happy day,’ it’s more than a pleasantry. It’s a message of affirmation.”
Despite signs of growing awareness, public sentiment remains deeply divided. According to a 2024 survey by Korea Research, only 16 percent of respondents expressed favorable views toward LGBTQ individuals — up 5 percentage points from the previous year but still a minority.
Meanwhile, 43 percent held hostile views, and 40 percent were neutral. Support for same-sex relationships, gender transition, and bisexuality ranged from 36 to 38 percent, with opposition at 39 to 42 percent.
For the parents marching this weekend, change must come from both education and legislation.
Oh Eun-ji, a mother of an LGBTQ child, embraces a participant during the Queer Parade. (Photo courtesy of Parents of LGBTQ People in Korea)
“We need schools and laws to acknowledge LGBTQ existence,” Kim said. “Without education, discrimination festers. Even LGBTQ youth internalize self-hatred.” She called for swift enactment of anti-discrimination laws and diversity-focused curricula.
Oh echoed the sentiment, noting how quickly minds change when the issue becomes personal. “Some say they dislike homosexuality — until they learn their own child is queer. Then everything changes,” she said. “We need a society where difference is not feared, but simply seen as part of life.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
