In a historic decision for LGBTQ couples South Korea a high court in the nation has ruled that spousal coverage under the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) should be applied equally to both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ couples
In South Korea, same-sex partners are now officially recognized as having the same legal status for the first time.
The decision came about due to a lawsuit filed by couple So Sung-uk and Kim Yong-min, who argued that they should be entitled to the same spousal insurance benefits the country grants to heterosexual couples even though same-sex marriage is not yet legal in South Korea.
While So and Kim could not legally marry, they had a wedding in 2019 after having lived together six years, according to the Korea Herald. In 2020, they registered with the NHIS, Kim as the policyholder and So as the dependent. Later that year, NHIS revoked So’s insurance status and ordered him to provide back payments after deciding his marriage was not valid.
A lower court initially ruled against the couple, but the Seoul high court overturned the ruling and ordered the insurance service to cover the costs of both sides of the case. The ruling did emphasize, however, that it should not be interpreted as recognizing same-sex marriage as legal.