An interview with Kangyu Garam, long time feminist documentary maker, on living as a lesbian in South Korea and Lucky Appartment, a film offering “a glimpse into the difficulties faced by lesbian couples in the land of the morning calm”.
“Unlike most lesbian films that focus on budding romances, you center your story around a well-established couple. Why this choice?
It so happens that I have many older lesbian couples around me, and I thought it was essential to talk about their daily lives in this Korean system where nothing is adapted for them. From an administrative point of view, whether at the level of the State, insurance, banks, funerals, everything is difficult because these couples are very poorly recognized. I could only talk about these concerns by featuring a long-time couple. I also wanted to be able to talk about older couples by wondering if the country had done anything for them.”
“Same-sex marriage doesn’t exist in South Korea. What’s the status of LGBT rights?
Things are moving slowly. Recently, there was a victory thanks to a gay man who had his partner recognized as a beneficiary of his social security insurance. Regarding marriage, in 2013, director Kim Jho Kwang-soo tried to have his relationship with producer Kim Seung-hwan recognized in court, but his case was rejected. More recently, about ten couples have taken the matter to court, but it will take a long time to obtain rulings. (Editor’s note: According to these couples, the Korean constitution does not specify that marriage must take place between two people of different sexes.) After the victory over health insurance, the very conservative Protestant party called for demonstrations and fiercely fought against this measure. These demonstrations attracted a lot of people, and politicians are sensitive to them and therefore never support homosexuals.”
Continue reading at: https://asialyst.com/fr/2025/04/03/cinema-coreen-quotidien-couple-lesbien-pays-matin-calme/ (Source)
Listening to Lesbians 