A 27-year-old Ugandan woman has become the first person to be granted refugee status in South Korea due to their sexuality.

The woman, who can not be named for legal reasons told a court that she feared for her life after her family members were killed by neighbours because she is a lesbian.

The Korean government initially rejected her application for refugee status. Yesterday, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled in her favour stating that it was highly likely that she would face persecution if she was repatriated.

It is legal to be gay in South Korea. However, the country does not offer same-sex marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples. Gay couples can not adopt and there is no anti-discrimination legislation to help protect LGBT people.

Uganda has an appalling record on gay rights. Same-sex relationships are illegal and there have been frequent attempts to introduce the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’.