South Korea to remove homosexuality label from youth manual

South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family apologized for a youth-counselling manual that classified homosexuality as a delinquency-related issue and said it would remove the passage and review the guide with counselling experts. The ministry’s statement expressed regret for the concern caused to sexual minority young people and others, and promised additional human-rights training for youth counsellors and centre staff. The manual, issued by the Korea Youth Counselling and Welfare Institute, placed homosexuality in a section alongside sexual violence, theft and drug-related problems. Youth companions use the guide when working with young people considered at risk, providing counselling and connecting them with welfare, health-care and education services. The institute is affiliated with the ministry. The institute attributed the wording to an error by the manual’s writing team, saying it had been carried over from older reference material. The ministry said it would correct the passage immediately and conduct a broader review in consultation with counselling experts. The reports describe these as planned actions; they do not establish that the changes or review have...