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.

There have been proposals to legalize same-sex marriage in Korea, but none have passed.

Haphazard self-censorship of LGBTQ+ content, expression, and assembly is common in South Korea.

In a victory for LGBTQ rights, South Korea's supreme court ruled that transgender people have the right to change their legal sex status, regardless of whether they have underage children.
These guidelines include 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.

No legal recognition.

There are some LGBT anti-discrimination protections in local jurisdictions, but national law doesn't protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Illegal in some jurisdictions, proposed nationwide

Illegal in some jurisdictions, proposed nationwide

No information about when adoption regulations went into effect.

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.

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.

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.

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.