For The First Time, A South Korean Court Recognizes The Rights Of Same S3x Couples

For The First Time, A South Korean Court Recognizes The Rights Of Same S3x Couples

 

For the first time ever, a South Korean court has recognized a same-sex couple’s legal rights in the nation.

In a historic decision, the Seoul High Court determined that a government health insurer did owe coverage to a customer’s spouse after the company terminated it after it learned the two were gay.

The men had a wedding ceremony in 2019, but South Korea does not recognize same-sex unions.
According to activists, the decision marks a big step forward for Gay rights in the nation.
The Supreme Court will, however, hear an appeal of the case.

So Seong-wook, the complainant, expressed his appreciation for the decision and the “recognition of a very evident right that has not been given.”
He filed a lawsuit against the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in 2021 when his partner Kim Yongmin’s plan refused to cover him.

The couple had initially been given coverage, but this was then removed since the NHIS claimed they had given the same-sex couple coverage in error.

Mr. So, who welcomed the decision, commended the court for treating “the idea of equality as an essential problem.”
He told the BBC, “I think it has significant meaning for LGBTQ persons who have experienced discrimination, for those who support them, and for all those who are discriminated against.

A lower court’s decision was overturned by the Seoul High Court. It was determined that spouse coverage under the NHIS included non-legally defined households as well.

Additionally, it concluded that depriving same-sex couples of these advantages constituted discrimination.

In some ways, everyone can be a minority. Being in the minority means being distinct from the majority and cannot be bad in and of itself, according to the court’s ruling.
“In a society where the majority rule reigns,”