LGBT Rights in Jeju Province

Jeju is governed by federal South Korea law. Learn more
    Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✖ Foreign same-sex marriages recognized only
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✔ Legal, no restrictions
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✔ Legal
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    Varies by Region
    Employment Discrimination
    Varies by Region
    Housing Discrimination
    Varies by Region
    Adoption
    ✖ Illegal
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    ✖ Not banned
    Military
    ✖ Illegal
    Donating Blood
    ✔ Legal
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion

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History

Homosexual activity in Jeju

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Homosexual activity in Jeju is legal.

Current status
Legal
Same-sex intercourse is not illegal for civilians in South Korea, but it is between men in the military.

Article 92-6 of the Military Criminal Act penalizes "anal intercourse" and other so-called “indecent acts” in any military setting with up to two years in prison — and all able-bodied men must serve about two years in the military. No law criminalizes heterosexual intercourse in the South Korean military.

Same-sex marriage in Jeju

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Same-sex marriage in Jeju is foreign same-sex marriages recognized only.

Current status
Since Oct 1, 2019
Foreign same-sex marriages recognized only
Currently, same-sex couples can receive spousal coverage under the National Health Insurance Service. Diplomatic same-sex marriages are also recognized.
Aug 15, 1948–Oct 1, 2019
Unrecognized
In South Korea, same-sex marriage is neither prohibited nor legally recognized.
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Jeju

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Jeju is no censorship.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2003
No censorship
No restrictions to freedom of expression and association in South Korea.
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State-enforced
The Government of South Korea practiced censorship of gay content websites from 2001 to 2003, through its Information and Communications Ethics Committee, an official organ of the Ministry of Information and Communication.
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Right to change legal gender in Jeju

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Right to change legal gender in Jeju is legal, no restrictions.

Current status
Since Mar 16, 2020
Legal, no restrictions
Since 2020, all criteria that was previously mandatory has become optional, and the court will request them on a case-by-case basis. First approved legal case of FTM gender recognition without sterilization occured in 2021, and for MTF in 2023. Despite this, most judges still view the surgery as a prerequisite, and thus those seeking LGR often move to district with lax requirements. In 2024 Cheongju District Court has suggested a new criteria "based on subjective experiences of gender and gender identity, fitness to the identifying gender role, medical criteria and external presentation (not necessarily sterilization), and impression by a 3rd party."
Jun 22, 2006–Mar 15, 2020
Legal, but requires surgery
There is and has been no law outlining requirements for changing legal gender. However the supreme court has allowed such procedure with en banc ruling from 2006. The requirements are governed by the guidelines set by the supreme court. These guidelines have included abusive or discriminatory requirements, such being at least 19 years old themselves, as well as being unmarried, diagnosed with “transsexualism” and having undergone hormone therapy and been sterilized.

Gender-affirming care in Jeju

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Gender-affirming care in Jeju is legal.

Current status
Since 1997
Legal
In 1997, South Korea adopted the ICD-10 classification, which contains codes for diagnosing transsexualism in adulthood and childhood, which authorize the initiation of medical transition.
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Jeju

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Jeju is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
No legal recognition.
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LGBT discrimination in Jeju

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LGBT discrimination in Jeju is varies by region.

Current status
Varies by Region
Illegal in some jurisdictions, bills proposed to extend protections nationwide
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LGBT employment discrimination in Jeju

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LGBT employment discrimination in Jeju is varies by region.

Current status
Varies by Region
Illegal in some jurisdictions, proposed nationwide

LGBT housing discrimination in Jeju

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LGBT housing discrimination in Jeju is varies by region.

Current status
Varies by Region
Illegal in some jurisdictions, proposed nationwide
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Same-sex adoption in Jeju

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Same-sex adoption in Jeju is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
No information about when adoption regulations went into effect.
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Intersex infant surgery in Jeju

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Intersex infant surgery in Jeju is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Invasive and unnecessary surgical interventions on intersex children are not prohibited in South Korea.
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Serving openly in military in Jeju

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Serving openly in military in Jeju is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Same-sex intercourse is not illegal for civilians in South Korea, but it is between men in the military. Article 92-6 of the Military Criminal Act penalizes “indecent acts” in any military setting with up to two years in prison — and all able-bodied men must serve about two years in the military. No law criminalizes heterosexual intercourse in the South Korean military.

However, there are some signs that restrictions on LGBTQ service members may be easing: In 2022, the South Korean Supreme Court overturned the conviction of two soldiers for gay sex, and in 2021, a district court posthumously reinstated a transgender soldier who died by suicide after being dismissed from the army.
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Blood donations by MSMs in Jeju

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Blood donations by MSMs in Jeju is legal.

Current status
Legal
South Korea forbids people who have had sex "with certain high-risk individuals" within the past one year to donate blood. These rules apply equally to all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The official guidelines urge people to not donate for the purposes of finding out if they have AIDS.
Sources:
hrc.org/resources/blood-donations
bloodinfo.net/knrcbs/cm/cnt…
healthhabit.tistory.com/158#:~:text=%ED%97%8C%ED%98%88%20%EC%9E%90%EA%B2%A9%20%EC%A1%B0%EA%B1%B4%20%28%EB%82%98%EC%9D%B4%2C%20%EC%B2%B4%EC%A4%91%2C%20%ED%98%88%EC%95%95%2C%20%EA%B0%84%EA%B2%A9%2C%20%ED%9A%9F%EC%88%98,%EC%95%BD%EA%B0%84%EC%9D%98%20%EC%B0%A8%EC%9D%B4%EA%B0%80%20%EC%9E%88%EA%B8%B4%20%ED%95%98%EC%A7%80%EB%A7%8C%20%ED%98%88%EC%95%95%EC%9D%B4%2010~20mmHg%20%EC%A0%95%EB%8F%84%20%EB%82%AE%EC%95%84%EC%A7%91%EB%8B%88%EB%8B%A4.
korea.kr/news/healthView.do…
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Conversion therapy in Jeju

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Conversion therapy in Jeju is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is not criminalized. It is still encouraged as a plausible fix for homosexuality, with South Korean official Kim Seong-hoi calling homosexuality a "mental illness" and endorsing conversion therapy.
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Equal age of consent in Jeju

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Equal age of consent in Jeju is equal.

Current status
Equal
Age of consent is equal for both homosexual and heterosexual relationships, set at 13 & 16 years old.

At 13, individuals can have sexual relations with anyone older than 13 and younger than 19. At 16, individuals can have sexual relations with anyone older than 16.
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