Viral post claims North Korea is ‘offering LGBT memberships’. Here are the facts…
Is North Korea is offering LGBT memberships? (Getty)
Is North Korea is offering LGBT memberships? (Getty)
A post claiming that “LGBT memberships” are available for tourists in North Korea has gone viral on X/Twitter.
The post, uploaded on Friday (11 July), reads: “Breaking: North Korea welcomes LGBT+ travellers.”
The message is accompanied by an image of a news headline similarly claiming: “North Korea offers LGBT memberships to foreign travellers.”
The post has attracted more than 12 million views and received some 13,000 likes.
Despite what has been suggested, no official source has confirmed the claims and it appears to have been recycled from an old Instagram post. However, it raises questions about the state of LGBTQ+ rights in North Korea under the dictatorship of supreme leader Kim Jong Un.
It’s understood that queer people are not criminalised, however, the country has conservative views on sexuality, so queer people are likely to face discrimination, and LGBTQ+ rights are not explicitly addressed in law.
Same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships are likewise not recognised and there have been unverified reports of LGBTQ+ people being executed under the totalitarian regime.
‘You certainly will not meet openly gay Koreans’
In 2011, The Korea Times, based in neighbouring, and far more liberal, South Korea, reported that the North had executed a lesbian couple for “corruption of public morals”. However, the report remains unconfirmed.
In 2023, the South Korean Ministry of Unification published a report on North Korean Human Rights, which included a defector’s claim that a man had been executed for homosexuality nine years before.
A post on Young Pioneer Tours, a travel company based in mainland China and specialising in travel to North Korea, offers an optimistic overview of travelling to the country as a queer person.
“Contrary to popular belief, homosexuality is not against the law in North Korea, and people from the LGBT community are more than welcome to travel here. In fact, openly gay guides have frequently led tours without issue.”
However, it goes on to say: “[While] homosexuality is not illegal in the country, there is no gay scene to speak of, and you certainly will not meet openly gay Koreans.
“Young Pioneer Tours has employed and continues to employ LGBT people, and we welcome people from all walks of life on our tours but it is important to remember the cultural norms of some of the countries we visit, and it is important to ensure that we respect the beliefs and norms of those countries even if we do not agree with them.
“North Korea is a sexually conservative country, and this applies to sexuality anywhere on the spectrum. Overt shows of affection by anyone of any sexual orientation tend to be frowned upon.”
Elsewhere, the website says: “Tourists visiting North Korea stay [in] twin share rooms, so both same and mixed-sex couples sharing a room raises no eyebrows. However… double beds do not come as standard.”
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