By Jason Strother

SEOUL - Faced with a looming demographic crisis, South Korea plans to expand the legal definition of family, but same-sex couples will not be included.

South Korea bans same-sex marriage and regulations make it very difficult for unwed partners to adopt children. And there are no laws that protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination.

Kim Ju-won says she’d at least like to see the recognition of domestic partnerships, which she hopes could make same-sex couples eligible for many of the rights and financial incentives currently offered to only married men and women.

But a new government plan to redefine what constitutes a family in South Korea would make that unlikely. Last week, Seoul’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced it will propose changes to civil and welfare regulations so that single parents and unmarried, cohabitating partners can become legal families.

A ministry official tells VOA News that the reform would only apply to heterosexual couples. Read more via VOA