The 2024 25th Seoul Queer Culture Festival, the largest queer event in South Korea, took place on June 1st, 2024.
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Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel
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The 2024 25th Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) took place on June 1st, 2024. Since it is held in the capital city, the event is the biggest queer in South Korea. Even so, it was organized at Jonggak station instead of the Seoul Plaza, prohibited by the Seoul Metropolitan Government from using the Plaza (Image 1,2.) Despite the governmental interruption, the festival was successful, gathering approximately 150 thousand participants, according to the festival’s organizing committee. Considering the Taiwan Pride Parade, the biggest queer parade in Asia, drew 176 thousand participants, the SQCF also is one of the major queer events in Asia.
Check out the article about the Seoul city’s administrative dissonance: Recreating a Rainbow: Seoul Queer Culture Festival Prohibited from Using the Plaza
The SQCF is evolving into a festival not just for queer individuals, but for ‘everyone.’ The couple Kim Hyo-gon and Lim Seo-young came to the festival with their 3-year-old son in a stroller. Lim said, “Our first child passed away due to a severe disability. After that, an interest in social minorities has grown, which dragged us here as a means of solidarity.” He also mentioned “I wanted to show this festival to my kid in an educational way. Maybe discrimination might have been reduced by the time they is grown up.” Religious groups from Buddhists and Christians have also participated in the event booth. “No matter whether you are Christian or not, queer or not, they all are precious individuals of god. As a pastor, I believe my role is to help everyone without discrimination,” a pastor Joseph from the Catholic queer group booth “Fog Town” stated.
Including religious groups, the estimate of 60 booths were placed, which were from queer rights organizations such as Beyond the Rainbow Foundation and Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea, National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), university queer clubs from Konkuk University, Seoul National University, and Soongsil University.
There have been several internal actions on some corporate and national level booths that participated in the festival, some of which are listed below.
365mc’s Internal Discussion and Decision Not to Attend
365mc, a domestic chain hospital had planned to register a booth for the Seoul Queer Parade. Even though the hospital was criticized for strengthening the “normal” appearance and body shape that society requires, 365mc contacted first to offer a sponsorship to the festival's organizing committee, making a mutual agreement on the necessity to establish internal guidelines on their LGBTQ patients and raise awareness training for the workers. It had already been discussed that the booth is prohibited from promoting medical procedures such as liposuction, and the booth program would focus on raising awareness and supporting the rights of sexual minorities.. Despite the efforts, the organizing committee stated that backlash from Christians in 365mc led the hospital to cancel the sponsorship agreement.
Controversy on Gilead’s Participation
Gilead, the global pharmaceutical company, has participated as an official partner of the SQCF this year as well and ran the booth. It is a manufacturer of medicines such as ‘Truvada’ used for PrEP(Pre-exposure prophylaxis), which prevents HIV/AIDS infection. Nonetheless, their immoral behavior of earning an astronomical amount of profit raised problems by monopolizing medical drugs including HIV medicines, which were developed by official assistance. Recently, Gilead faced a class-action lawsuit from 24,000 HIV-positive and LGBTQ individuals in the US for intentionally delaying the launch of an improved HIV medicine to extend their market monopoly, causing public outrage.
Check out the article about the SQCF and Gilead’s participation: The Power Game Concerning “Support” for Seoul Queer Culture Festival
The criticism of their pinkwashing with queer-friendly marketing lasted, which in fact treated citizens’ health rights and lives as a means of earning. HIV/AIDS Activists Network Korea protested to Gilead at the SQCF on June 1st. For an hour from 1 pm on June 1st, they raised pickets written: “Gilead and GSK which monopolizes the patent right and violates the right of medicine accessibility don’t deserve to mention human rights,” chanting slogans and speaking out to protest. Organizations including Green Party Korea and Hongjindan, individual participants joined the protest as well.
Attendance of the Embassy of the US, UK, and Germany and Solidarity for Palestine
The US, UK, and German Embassy joined the SQCF with their booth. Since the countries are being criticized for supporting and aiding the Israeli occupation of Palestine and genocide against them, the controversy of their participation has been harsh even before the parade. Civil organizations picketed across the US Embassy booth denouncing the country that aids weapons of mass destruction and spreading handouts to participants.
Upcoming Queer Parade Events
Besides the SQCF, local queer culture festivals will be held in another region in July. Daejeon Queer Culture Festival has announced to hold the event for the first time on July 6th. Jeju Queer Pride event is also planned on July 13th. We appreciate your support and participation. More information is available on Daejeon Queer Parade (https://x.com/djqcf) and Jeju Queer Pride (https://x.com/jejuqueerpride).
English Translation: 지니
Translation review: 피웊
Writer of the original text: 레이
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel
Web & SNS Posting: Miguel
News Card Design: 가리
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