"The National Human Rights Commission of Korea took part for the first time as a state agency for a world without discrimination."

The Queer Culture Festival, which first began in 2000 to protect the rights of sexual minorities, was held at Seoul Plaza on July 15. Under the theme, "There Is No Later, We Demand Change Now" the eighteenth annual festival drew attention as a state agency, a political party and religious groups took part for the first time.

The National Human Rights Commission set up a booth at Seoul Plaza and asked people to write down their wishes. On a bulletin board, people posted notes with words like, "Queer are humans too" and "You're late, but you're still welcome." An official from the commission said, "The commission is an agency working to eradicate discrimination, and we are concerned about distorted and biased information, such as the argument that AIDS could spread if the lawmakers pass the recent anti-discrimination act concerning sexual minorities. We will work to right these wrongs."

A Buddhist organization and a political party also took part for the first time. Justice Party leader Lee Jeong-mi said, "We need to go beyond a society in which people suffer all kinds of hatred and discrimination because of their sexual orientation, which they are born with. We will actively work to amend the Military Criminal Act and legalize same-sex marriage." Bulban, a group of Buddhist sexual minorities, and the Social Labor Committee of the Jogye Order also took part.

Despite the rain, parents of sexual minorities held a "Free Hug" event, embracing and comforting the participants. They held signs with the words, "Son, Mom loves you just the way you are," "Stop the hatred. Discrimination is bad," and "We love our sexual minority children, and love is equal, it does not discriminate."

At Seoul Plaza, 101 booths were set up, and thirteen embassies including the U.S., the U.K. and Australia and global corporations like Google took part, displaying promotional material expressing their solidarity and voicing their opposition to discrimination against sexual minorities. When the rain stopped in the afternoon, participants paraded through downtown Seoul.

Participants waved rainbow-colored flags and held signs with the words, "Beyond Hatred, Towards Solidarity" and "Love Wins." Amidst cheering citizens, the people marched through Euljiro and Jongno and returned to the plaza after passing by the Bank of Korea.

The organizing committee of the Queer Culture Festival announced that over 50,000 people (police estimate: 9,000) took part in this day's festival. Several rallies against homosexuality were also held throughout the city. The organizing committee of a national demonstration against homosexual queer festivals held a rally in front of Daehanmun Gate, across from the Seoul Plaza where the Queer Culture Festival was held. A Christian union dedicated to preaching to sexual minorities and a solidarity to protect sound religion also demonstrated against homosexuality at Cheonggye Square and in front of Dongwha Duty Free respectively.