South Korea’s first ever same-sex marriage bill goes to parliament

Marriage equality supporters gather outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday to mark the launch of the country's first same-sex marriage bill. Photograph: Rainbow Action/Marriage Equality Korea

Lawmakers in South Korea have proposed the country’s first same-sex marriage bill, in a move hailed by civic groups as a defining moment in the fight for equality.

The marriage equality bill, proposed by Jang Hye-yeong of the minor opposition Justice party and co-sponsored by 12 lawmakers across all the main parties, seeks to amend the country’s civil code to include persons of the same sex in marriage.