Hong Jun-pyo Supports Islamic Temples, Opposes Queer Festivals

"Opposition to Mosque Construction? Islamophobia Must Not Happen"
"Queer Festival Should Be Elsewhere... Majority Sexual Orientation Rights Are Important"

Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, expressed contrasting views regarding the conflicts arising in the Daegu area over the 'construction of an Islamic mosque' and the 'hosting of a queer festival.' Both issues are strongly opposed by some Christian groups, but he showed support for the former and opposition to the latter. This revealed opposing perspectives on minority issues.

Regarding the construction of the Islamic mosque in Daegu, Mayor Hong stated that opposing it infringes on religious freedom. In a post on social media (SNS) on the 10th, Hong said, "There are already cathedrals, churches, and temples in residential areas in our country. To specifically oppose Islam is not only a violation of religious freedom but also something that pseudo-Christian groups, who go against the spirit of Christianity, would do."

He continued, "To make Daegu a global city in the world, we cannot exclude 1 billion Muslims," and argued, "Certain pseudo-Christian forces that absurdly create Islamophobia must be expelled from Daegu."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, Mayor Hong clearly opposed the Daegu Queer Culture Festival scheduled for the 17th. He said, "The rights of sexual minorities are important, but the rights of the sexual majority are equally important," and added, "I hope such queer festivals that cause disgust among citizens will not be held."

On the 15th, he posted again, stating, "It is absolutely unacceptable to hold the Daegu Queer Festival by illegally occupying the downtown roads," and asked, "Are only the rights of the less than 1% sexual minorities important, and not the rights of the 99% sexual majority? If you want to hold a rally, do it somewhere else."

Mayor Hong's remarks came after the Daegu District Court dismissed a provisional injunction request filed by merchants in Dongseong-ro, where the queer festival is held, to ban the rally. Although the court's decision allowed the festival to proceed as planned, Mayor Hong maintained his opposition.

On the 16th, he also criticized the police, saying, "When I said I would prevent illegal road occupation during the queer festival, a police official threatened that I would be booked for obstructing an assembly. I am really at a loss whether they are police of the Republic of Korea or police supporting the queer festival."

Sexual minority groups pointed out that terms like 'sexual majority' used by Mayor Hong contain expressions of hatred and discrimination. There are also criticisms that while issues of minority religions such as the Islamic mosque construction emphasize inclusion, the sexual minority issue does not, revealing a contradictory perspective.

Bae Jin-kyo, the organizing committee chairman of the Daegu Queer Culture Festival, criticized in an MBC radio interview, saying, "The term 'sexual majority' does not even exist in the Korean dictionary and is rarely used in the media," adding, "It is such a perplexing total mess that I do not know where to start rebutting." He continued, "These remarks show a disregard for the heavy responsibility of politics and the duties of the mayor," and said, "The shame belongs to the citizens of Daegu."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.