More than 210,000 people have signed a petition to cancel an “abominable” gay pride festival in South Korea.

The three-day Seoul Queer Culture Festival is marking its 19th anniversary this year, but now a petition – which was launched on June 14 – is urging the president to cancel the event and referred to homosexuals as unnormal.

The petition reads: “We are not discriminating against sexual minorities, but Seoul Plaza belongs to all citizens.

“We do not want to see their abominable events in a square where we should be able to rest and relax.

“Every year, queer-themed events such as street performances, drinking and smoking are called ‘cultural festivals’, but they are just occasions filled with illegal acts and hypocrisy.

“Homosexuals and normal people should not engage in such perverse and obscene events in a plaza that is meant to be a space for citizens to relax.

“True human rights are not indulgences.”

In South Korea, homosexuality is not illegal but it is still punishable in the military with a prison term up to a year.

Although homosexuality is legal, same-sex marriages are not recognised and tradition society frowns upon open displays of homosexuality.

The president, Moon Jae-in, also said he is opposed to same-sex marriages in the past.