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STORY: South Koreans Kim Eun-ha and Park Cho-hyeon want to get married and have children.It’s a plan that fits in with the government’s ambition to boost the country’s birth rates - which currently stand as the world’s lowest. But same-sex marriage is illegal in South Korea. And doctors refuse to perform artificial insemination on women without a male partner.:: File:: Kim Eun-ha “People who oppose LGBT couples say our relationship is a sin. And with the low birth rate, it is also another sin that we aren't having children. However, I think it is a bit ironic as we're in a situation where we're not allowed to have children even if we want to.”The couple plan to go to Australia to get married – even though the South Korean government will not recognize their union. :: FileEfforts to legalize same-sex marriage have been successful in Taiwan and Thailand. But not in South Korea. The LGBT community there faces strong opposition from conservative religious groups, which have mounted fierce resistance to efforts to pass anti-discrimination laws.Kim and Park, who live together with their dog Whipping, have started a YouTube channel to raise awareness about LGBT issues. But Park says acceptance of sexual minorities is very low in South Korea.:: Park Cho-hyeon “From the extreme comments we receive on our YouTube channel, we can see how prevalent negative perceptions of LGBTQ people are and how many people are hiding their true identities. Therefore, I think the awareness and acceptance of sexual minorities, LGBTQ, in our country is really, really low.”:: June 1, 2024Kim Ji-hak heads non-profit organization Diversity Korea.He says the government should acknowledge diversity if it is serious about increasing the birthrate.:: Kim Ji-hak, Director of Diversity Korea“I believe that the state and government should create an environment where everyone, regardless of their family structure, can live with dignity, without the need to form a conventional family model. If we become a society where people don't have to worry about healthcare, education, labor and ageing, everyone will want to have more children."South Korea has spent billions of dollars to try to stop its population from shrinking.Concerns about career advancement and the financial cost of raising children drive many women to delay childbirth or not have children at all. Despite these efforts, the population declined for a fourth straight year in 2023.Kim and Park say the lack of recognition for LGBT unions is the biggest obstacle to boosting the country's birth rate.“We actually want to have children, but in South Korea, there are no policies to support us to have children. In fact, we are being prevented from having them. Additionally, society looks down on us for wanting to have children, which is quite disappointing.”
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