South Korean capital celebrates 1st Pride parade in 3 years

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of gay rights supporters are celebrating under heavy police guard the South Korean capital’s first major Pride parade in three years after a COVID-19 hiatus. Police are on alert Saturday as church-backed counterprotesters also rallied in nearby streets, highlighting the tensions surrounding the rights of sexual minorities in the deeply conservative country. There were no significant scuffles or disruptions. Revelers wearing or waving rainbow banners cheered and swayed to music from a stage in front of city hall. They later formed a queue of umbrellas as they marched toward a downtown business district amid drizzling rain, calling for laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. Police had estimated around 40,000 would show up for the dueling events.