The 20th Seoul Queer Culture Festival on Jul. 1. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jul. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Wearing rainbow-colored clothes that symbolize the human rights of sexual minorities, students attended chapel classes.
These students were punished by the school, but the court ruled that punishment meted out by the university was unfair and unjustified.
On Thursday, the Seoul Eastern District Court nullified all disciplinary measures and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the school by four students of the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary.
The court ruled that there were procedural flaws in the reasoning behind the punishment, as well as the fact that the university did not give prior notice of the reasons for the punishment and administrators did not listen to the students’ statement of opinion.
On May 17 last year, which marks the IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia), the students attended chapel classes dressed in rainbow-colored clothes to reflect on the issue of sexual minority hatred in South Korean society.
Two months later, the graduate school gave them six months of limited suspension and three others a probationary punishment.
One of the plaintiffs said in response to the ruling, “Our intention of not loathing a sexual minority led to disciplinary action, and it hurts my heart.”
“I hope this ruling will be a small consolation for those who have been excluded and hurt by the Korean church that promotes hatred,” he said.
Following the latest ruling, the students will return to school next semester.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
