Out of the closet: Seoul National University elects first lesbian student body president

Seoul: “I hope that people love themselves for who they are and live with confidence in this world. So I am telling you here that I am a lesbian,” said Kim Bo-mi, during her campaign for the election of the Seoul National University’s student body president. She is the first student president who came out of the closet in South Korea, a country that remains largely intolerant towards homosexuality. [caption id=“attachment_2515180” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Seoul National University. Image Courtesy: University website[/caption] The 23-year-old sole candidate was elected the student body president of South Korea’s most prestigious university for the first time in the nation’s history on Friday. Kim Bo-mi won 86.8 percent of voters’ approval in the election held from Monday to Thursday, according to the university’s election committee. The voter turnout was 53.3 percent, with only 11.2 percent voting against Kim, 0.1 percent abstaining and 1.9 percent of votes considered invalid, The Korea Herald reported. Earlier this month, Kim publicly declared that she was a lesbian during her election campaign, echoing hope for SNU to become a place where people’s different lifestyles are viewed as beautiful and embraced. The election had unusually high voter participation, reflecting students’ interest after Kim came out during the campaign. Kim’s one-year term will begin on December 1.