Episode 7 – What is it like to be gay in North Korea?

Ask me about North Korea

Today we will be looking into a question that is not so often raised in discussions about North Korea – but it is, nonetheless, extremely important and interesting. What is it like – being gay in North Korea? While there is not much that we hear about the LGBTQ community in the DPRK, it does not mean that these people do not exist. In fact, their life can be very-very miserable, which is why discussing this question in the public field is so important. In this episode, I will briefly explain why being queer in North Korea is very hard (you can probably imagine why) and outline the key characteristics of systemic queerphobia in the DPRK. After that, I will provide you with some excerpts from the interviews with the only openly gay defector as well as a brief analysis of the DPRK’s statements about LGBTQ.