Court Rules Same-Sex Couples Can Be Health Insurance Dependents, Ruling Party Warns "Pandora's Box Opened, Must Prepare"

"There is also a judgment that there is no substantial relationship in same-sex marriage"
"As it is a Supreme Court ruling, it should be respected... Consensus must be formed"

Hwang Woo-yeo, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, commented on the Supreme Court's ruling on the 18th allowing same-sex partners in de facto relationships to be registered as dependents under health insurance, saying, "There are talks that the lid of Pandora's box has been opened," and added, "Since it is a Supreme Court ruling, it must be respected, but its true meaning and contrast should be well established socially."

Hwang Woo-yeo, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

At the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd, Chairman Hwang said, "The Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex partners can be registered as dependents under health insurance by recognizing them as an economic community of life comparable to that of married couples." He continued, "Our Constitution declares and stipulates that marriage must be established and maintained based on gender equality," adding, "Here, gender has been interpreted to mean the opposite sex. Of course, the recent Supreme Court ruling also refrains from making a judgment on marriage itself."

Chairman Hwang stated, "Although this ruling concerns the health insurance dependent system as a basic social security system rather than traditional legislation, its ripple effects must be carefully observed," and noted, "Among the dissenting opinions of the Supreme Court justices, there is a judgment that it is difficult to see same-sex relationships as having the substance of marriage." He added, "That opinion expresses concern about including same-sex unions in the concept of spouse, which equates them with opposite-sex unions," and said, "Since it could cause a major impact, constitutional interpretation and sufficient legislative discussions should be conducted to build social consensus."

Furthermore, he said, "I think it would have been safer to proceed by utilizing legislative and constitutional review procedures," and added, "Our party also needs to give careful consideration to this matter."