Seoul, South Korea
A South Korean military woman who was expelled from the military following surgery gender reassignment, was found dead, the agency of Yonhap press.
The body of Byun Hee-soo he was found at his home in Cheongju, south of Seoul. Police have opened an investigation.
Byun Hee-soo, a sergeant in his twenties, he volunteered in the military as a male in 2017before undergoing sex reassignment surgery in Thailand.
LEA: French police dismantle prostitution ring that exploited Romanian and Colombian women
Compared to other Asian countries, South Korea he is very conservative on aspects of sexual identity and homosexual relationships between the military can be punished. Turned into a woman, she communicated to her hierarchy that she wanted to stay in the military.
In January 2020, a military commission ordered his expulsion from the military institutionas the Department of Defense ruled that the loss of his genitals they were a mental and physical problem.
After his deportation, Byun came out of anonymity to defend his case. “I am a military officer of the Republic of Korea,” he said in a trembling voice. He explained that being in the military was a childhood dream, but said he was suffering from depression as a result of “gender dysphoria” or gender identity disorder. Hence your choice to have surgery.
“I want to show everyone that regardless of my sexual identity, I can be one of the great soldiers defending the country,” he had said. “Please give me this chance,” the young woman pleaded.
IN ADDITION: China is concerned that its young men will become too “feminine”
Military service is mandatory in South Korea, where the army is mainly responsible for protecting the territory against the threat from the north. Every fit man must serve two years of military service.
Byun was the first South Korean soldier to undergo sexual identity change surgery while on duty. International associations for the defense of human rights have long denounced that consensual sexual relations between two people of the same sex remain a crime under South Korean military law.
The South Korean military relentlessly prosecutes soldiers who have same-sex relationships, which could lead to two years in prison and hard labor if court-martialed.