BUOYED by a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a prominent South Korean gay rights campaigner and movie director is suing officials for refusing to recognize his 2013 same-sex marriage.

    Kim Jho Gwang-soo — a rare openly gay celebrity in conservative South Korea — and his partner Kim Seung-hwan took their fight for legitimacy to a district court in western Seoul on Monday.

    The couple held an outdoor wedding ceremony in Seoul in September 2013 and submitted their marriage registration form to their local authority — only for it to be rejected.

    While homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, same-sex marriage is not recognized.

    Gay and transgender people live largely under the radar in a country that remains deeply conservative about matters of sexual identity and where many still regard homosexuality as a foreign phenomenon.

    Monday’s court hearing, held behind closed doors, marked the first effort by a same-sex couple in South Korea to acquire legal status for their marriage.

    “If you are a Korean citizen, you are equal under Korean law,” Kim, 50, told reporters outside the court.

    “I hope through this trial we can uncover this constitutional principle,” Kim said, adding that he had pleaded with the court to “acknowledge our marriage before I die.”  (SD-Agencies)