[AP] S. Korean military decides to discharge transgender soldier
Byun said she had sex reassignment surgery in Thailand in November after suffering depression over her sexual identity for an extended period. She said in early 2019 she had the top score in an official assessment of tank driving skills among her battalion staff sergeants.
Speaking at the same news conference, rights activist Lim Tae-hoon said he will fight alongside Byun and others to transform what he called “our savage military.”
Lim, the leader of the Seoul-based Center for Military Human Rights, took issue with the army’s legal justification for discharging Byun. “I can’t resist feeling wretched at the military’s vulgar mindset as they determined that the lack of a male genital is a physical disability,” he said.
South Korea’s state-run human rights watchdog recommended Tuesday that the army postpone its decision. The National Human Rights Commission said in a statement that referring the soldier to the military panel would be an act of discrimination over sexual identity and affect the soldier’s basic human rights.
