Overview
- The 27th Seoul Queer Culture Festival set up about 70 booths from midmorning and launched a roughly 3 km parade that began at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
- Organisers told police they expected 50,000 attendees and the conservative Christian group said it expected 30,000, but Seoul city real‑time data recorded a peak crowd of about 15,000 in the area.
- A counter‑rally by conservative Christian groups was staged about 700 metres from the festival site and police deployed to manage parallel routes; authorities reported no clashes during the afternoon.
- This year’s festival broadened beyond LGBTQ groups to include migrant communities, labour groups, farmers and people with disabilities, making the parade a wider platform for minority visibility.
- The gatherings highlighted a persistent legal gap because same‑sex marriage is not recognised in South Korea and parliament has repeatedly failed to pass a comprehensive anti‑discrimination law, prolonging debate over rights and recognition.