We began 2025 in the streets, in the cold of winter. Rainbow flags raised in the square signaled that LGBTIQ people were standing together, and the call for “a democracy that protects LGBTIQ people” became a shared chant. The LGBTIQ youth I met there often seemed hopeful. Yet I found myself feeling uneasy. It was difficult to imagine what life would look like for them once the square emptied. The everyday world they would return to was still far from safe, and I worried that the slow pace of change might lead to discouragement rather than hope.
2025 also marked the tenth anniversary of DDing Dong. To honor this milestone, we launched the “One Person to Protect LGBTIQ Youth” fundraising campaign. Donors celebrated with us by sending birthday gifts to DDing Dong or joining our anniversary gathering in person, helping us mark ten years of perseverance. It was a moment that affirmed our commitment—to transform crisis into pride—had not been misplaced. I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this possible.
Even as we stood in solidarity with the democracy movement and celebrated our tenth anniversary, the responsibility of counseling and support weighed heavily on us. The steadily rising number of counseling cases reminds us each year what DDing Dong must continue to do. In 2025, we responded to 5,758 online inquiries via KakaoTalk, conducted 599 counseling sessions, and welcomed 468 visits to the center—the highest numbers since DDing Dong was founded. Among these, counseling related to transgender youth accounted for 70.8%, reflecting a significant increase. We also provided 481 cases of crisis support, including medical, legal, and psychological assistance; distributed 297 Rainbow Kits; and awarded scholarships to nine youth. These numbers remind us that many LGBTIQ youth still rely on the support DDing Dong provides.
At the same time, DDing Dong has continued working beyond counseling to bring change to schools and social youth welfare settings. For the first time, we offered training for Wee Class school counselors and published a revised edition of Walking the Rainbow Road Together at School, offering guidance on creating more LGBTIQ-inclusive schools. We are also working with the Youth Housing Rights Network On to explore alternatives for youth housing support, while collaborating with youth organizations that refer counseling cases to us.
Meanwhile, policies aimed at erasing the existence of LGBTIQ people from education continue to move forward. Following the 2015 National Sex Education Standards and the 2022 revised national curriculum, a meeting in 2025 revealed plans to remove the term “sexual minority” from the operating manual of the Seoul Youth Sex Culture Center. DDing Dong actively responded to this development. When people’s existence is erased, it becomes difficult even to recognize the crises they face. In this sense, counseling at DDing Dong is also an act of making the lives of LGBTIQ youth visible.
Recently, we received joyful news. A former crisis counseling client—who later became a first-generation recipient of the Chris Kim Scholarship—shared that, after overcoming several challenges, they had been admitted to the university they had long dreamed of attending. We also heard from Yeonhee, a transgender woman who received emergency support from DDing Dong in our early years after experiencing conversion therapy. She told us that she has completed her transition and is now living well, even happily in a relationship. Between these moments of joy lies the courage of LGBTIQ youth who continue to live fiercely without losing sight of who they are. I hope that this courage will reach other LGBTIQ youth who are enduring difficult times.
Rather than resting on the achievements of the past ten years, we now stand once again at the starting line. Beginning in 2026, DDing Dong will operate from a new space. We have been able to expand the once very small lounge for LGBTIQ youth and create more rooms where counseling can take place safely. While the financial responsibility of running the center has grown significantly, we believe that—just as we have come this far thanks to our donors—we will continue moving forward with your support.
In a world that is often eager to erase the existence of LGBTIQ youth, DDing Dong will continue to make their lives visible in all their diversity.
Thank you.
