hankyoreh

the relay campaign has gained further momentum after anti-gay comments by major candidates in the May 9 presidential election.

More and more “Arrest me, too” posters are going up at South Korea‘s universities. Initially launched to protest the Army’s investigation to track down gay soldiers, the relay campaign has gained further momentum after anti-gay comments by major candidates in next week‘s presidential election.

First raised on the campus of Sogang University on Apr. 20, “Arrest me, too” posters have since appeared at Gachon University, Dankook University, Daegu University, Pusan National University, Sungshin Women’s University, Silla University, and Ewha Womans University. They‘ve also been widely circulated on social media.

On Apr. 24, a poster went up at Sungshin Women’s University reading, “If gay soldiers are criminals, then the women’s university campus couple were also criminals. So arrest us, too.” A poster at Silla University read, “I’ve had to listen to the presidential candidate who is likely to win the election saying, ‘I don’t support homosexuality, but it shouldn’t be punished. But I won’t enact anti-discrimination legislation.’ Meanwhile, activists who traveled there to get an apology were arrested.”

“In the military and on the street, friends are being arrested, but am I really safe here on campus?” it continued.

A wall poster at Gachon University said, “The military has tracked down 40 to 50 soldiers just because they were gay. On TV, there’s been a torrent of statements that support hatred of sexual minorities.”

“Is this really a democratic country?” it asked.

Some of the posters at Sungshin Women’s University, Ewha Womans University, and Dankook University were defaced, while other posters were raised stating, “We will remember the unvarnished face of hatred.”

Meanwhile, Minjoo Party candidate Moon Jae-in, who previously faced heat over statements about homosexuality during a presidential debate, called the Army’s hunt for gay soldiers “a violation of human rights.” The Network for Support and Reporting of Human Rights Infringements and Discrimination against Sexual Minorities in the Military released results on Apr. 30 from an emergency questionnaire of candidates in the 19th presidential election on the Army‘s hunt for gay soldiers.

“Entrapment investigations should be rooted out, and military human rights education should be improved so that people are not victimized by human rights violations because they are homosexual,” read the response from Moon’s camp.

Justice Party candidate Shim Sang-jung and Popular United Party candidate Kim Seon-dong also called the investigation “anti-human rights.”

The network explained that it had sent the questionnaires on Apr. 20 to the election headquarters of six presidential candidates.

“Hong Joon-pyo [of the conservative Liberty Korea Party], Ahn Cheol-soo [moderate People’s Party], and Yoo Seong-min [conservative Bareun Party] did not reply,” it said.

Initially launched to protest the Army’s investigation to track down gay soldiers

put up at universities around South Korea

too”

Posters reading “Arrest me

By Park Su-ji, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]