Over 210,000 Sign Petition to Cancel Seoul Pride

Over 210,000 people have signed a petition demanding the cancellation of a gay pride festival to be held in Seoul, South Korea, this weekend.

The petition on the website of Blue House, the office of President Moon-Jae In, was posted June 14 and demanded the cancellation of two events: the Daegu Queer Festival, which occurred June 23, and the three-day Seoul Queer Culture Festival, an art and film festival soon to have its 19th anniversary, the U.K.'s Telegraph reports.

The petition, which claims not to discriminate against "sexual minorities," particularly targets the Seoul Queer Parade, which is part of the latter festival and is to take place in the historic Seoul Plaza this Saturday.

"We do not want to see their abominable events in a square where we should be able to rest and relax," the petition reads. "Every year, queer-themed events such as street performances, drinking and smoking are called 'cultural festivals,' but they are just occasions filled with illegal acts and hypocrisy."

Antigay rallies will be held near the historic Seoul Plaza to protest the parade.

Though LGBT South Koreans have protections against employment and housing discrimination, they still face discrimination in other venues, according to Equaldex, a crowdsourced service that rates LGBT rights by region. South Korea has not established marriage equality, and its military code prohibits same-sex sexual encounters.

President Moon, despite his liberal reputation, opposes marriage equality, and 59 percent of South Koreans do not believe that homosexuality should be accepted. The petition could receive both popular and governmental support; now that it has reached over 200,000 signatures, the South Korean government must respond within 30 days.