South Korea’s nominated human rights chief sparks uproar over his anti-LGBTQ stance

Ahn Chang-ho, who opposes anti-discrimination laws, also rejects the theory of evolution and wants creationism lessons in schools

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Members of the LGBT community take part in a Gay Pride parade in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 5 Sep 2024Updated: 8:09am, 5 Sep 2024

A former judge nominated to lead South Korea’s human rights body has sparked outrage with his comments against the LGBTQ community and the theory of evolution, with observers citing him as proof of the country’s flawed system for official appointments.

Ahn Chang-ho, 67, is under scrutiny for his statements in parliament suggesting that homosexuality is a tool used by communists to incite revolution.

Ahn, the proposed chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC), is under fire from lawmakers and human rights advocates for his stance against a comprehensive anti-discrimination bill being drafted by opposition parties.

The legislation aims to ban discrimination based on attributes such as sexual orientation, race, gender, age, religion and disability.

During a parliamentary nomination hearing on Tuesday, Ahn, also a former public security prosecutor, expressed concerns that the proposed law could be “exploited” by Marxists to suppress criticism of ideologies that oppose universal human values.

“I think it could be used to start a communist revolution by Marxists, as I wrote in my book,” Ahn said in response to a question from opposition lawmaker Shin Jang-sik.