SEOUL, March 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two men took part in what is being called the first overtly homosexual “marriage” ceremony in Korea. The ceremony was attended by 20 friends and 10 reporters from both newspaper and television, but no family members were in attendance.
Same-sex “marriages” are not officially recognized by the state, thus the pair were refused a marriage certificate from the ward office. But Lee Sang-chul and Park Jong-geu were satisfied with the public acknowledgement of their undertaking. “Since it is virtually impossible to register our marriage, we will just be satisfied with an official endorsement of the wedding ceremony,” Lee told the Korea Herald.
The president of the company Lee and Park work for—an organization which disseminates information for Korean homosexuals—presided over the ceremony. When a popular Korean actor divulged his homosexuality in 2000, a public outcry ensued. Hong Suk-cheon was not seen on the screen for almost four years. In December he returned to Television playing the part of a homosexual man.