KOREA - Nov 20, 2002 On Friday, Nov 15, the National Human Rights Commission of South Korea agreed that negative and bigoted definitions of homosexuality should be removed from Korean dictionaries.The commission’s ruling followed protests and petitions organized by local gay groups and university clubs working in unison with the Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Federation. Their grassroots collective challenged the National Academy of the Korean Language and nine publishing houses to remove negative language used in definitions of homosexuality, including derogatory phrases and outdated references to sexual perversions and mental illness. Five publishers will adopt the commission’s recommendation and will revise the text of their next editions. The remainder agreed to further consultation with linguistic advisors. |