Park Yeo-jin (Park Yuh-jin) and Hwang Hee-yeon (Hwang- Hee-yun) held a wedding ceremony in 2020, but South Korea does not legally recognize same-sex marriage. The couple filed a lawsuit after being unable to register their marriage. Yeo-jin’s parents submitted depositions supporting the relationship ahead of a court hearing.
This was reportedly the first hearing of its kind in 11 years not to be dismissed immediately. The case comes as LGBTQ+ rights debates continue across South Korea. In 2024, the country’s top court ruled that same-sex couples must receive equal national health insurance benefits.
In 2025, the national census also began allowing same-sex couples to identify as spouses. With marriage equality, South Korea could become the fourth such country in Asia after Taiwan, Thailand, and Nepal.
