More Koreans embrace homosexuality?

In this July 15 file photo, a Seoul Queer Parade participant who claims to support the Rael movement ― a UFO religion that teaches life on Earth was created by an extraterrestrial species ― offers a free hug at Seoul Plaza. Korea Times file

The portion of South Koreans who are opposed to homosexuality fell below 50 percent for the first time, a report showed Sunday, in an indication of Koreans' growing openness to sexual minorities.

In a 2018 poll of 8,000 Korean adults, 49 percent said that they cannot accept homosexuals, down from 57.2 percent tallied in 2017, according to the Korea Institute of Public Administration.

Koreans opposing homosexuality accounted for 62.1 percent in 2013 and has been since on the decline.

Last year was the first time that corresponding data fell below 50 percent, the agency added.

In terms of the tendency for minority exclusion, Korean women were less accepting than men of criminals, homosexuals, North Korean defectors and immigrants.

For Korean men, they showed less openness toward physically challenged people and children of single parent families.

As political orientation, more Koreans identify as liberals, the report said.

It showed 47.4 percent of the surveyed identifying as politically moderate, followed by liberals with 31.4 percent and conservatives with 21.2 percent.

In 2013, 22.6 percent of Koreans identified as liberals, compared with 31 percent as conservatives. But five years later, the trend was overturned. (Yonhap)

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