LGBTQI+ people have been scapegoated and put at risk during the Covid-19 pandemic.
South Korea has been praised for rolling out a meticulous and scientifically backed contact-tracing model in response to Covid-19, but targeted homophobic harassment on social media has undermined this strategy, putting the LGBTQI+ community at risk.
In May, major local outlet Kookmin Ilbo reported that a man had contracted the virus at a gay club in Seoul’s Itaewon district. Footage of nightclubs then surfaced on social media, alongside calls to ‘put a stop to these disgusting goings-on’.
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