South Korea’s government has announced it will revise a youth counselling manual that categorised homosexuality as a form of juvenile delinquency, after facing a backlash sparked by local media reports.
The manual was published by the Korea Youth Counselling and Welfare Institute, an organisation affiliated with the ministry, and distributed to specialists known as “youth companions”. They work with young people considered at risk, providing counselling and connecting them with welfare, healthcare and education services.
Homosexuality was grouped alongside sexual violence, theft and drug abuse under “delinquency-related issues” in the manual.
The South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it would immediately remove the problematic classification and undertake a broader review of the manual in consultation with counselling experts.
“We regret that the classification of content concerning sexual minorities as a type of delinquency-related problem in the manual has caused discomfort and concern to sexual minority youth and those involved,” the ministry said in a statement.
