Recently, a transgender soldier in South Korea
said she would sue the army after it dismissed
her following her sex change. 22 year-old
Byun Hee-soo joined the army as a man in 2017
but had gender reassignment surgery, male
to female, last year after suffering from
gender dysphoria and mental health issues.
Byun accused the military of “deep-rooted
intolerance” of sexual minorities, expressing
her desire to keep serving in the military.
Byun’s case has ignited fierce debate over
the treatment of transgender soldiers in South
Korea. The related contents covered by Korea
Now also left many subscribers with various
opinions and questions on this case in the
comment sections. So this week Korea Now will
look into Byun’s case in detail, focusing
on questions that have been posted in the
comments.
One of the frequently asked questions was:
does the mandatory military service apply
to women as well in South Korea? The answer
is “no,” but women can also serve in the
military through a certain selection process,
depending on their choice. According to the
Army, there are more than 10,000 women out
of the total number of over 500,000 soldiers,
and Byun voluntarily enlisted as an Army staff
sergeant in 2017.
However, the Army decided not to allow her
to continue serving in the military as a female
soldier, and she was discharged as of January
23. Currently no specific regulations exist
on how to handle cases of soldiers who undergo
sex reassignment operations while in service.
Then, what regulations applied to her discharge?
The decision was made under related laws,
including the Military Personnel Management
Act. According to these laws, Byun had been
undergoing a medical examination, which classified
the loss of male genitals as a mental or physical
handicap. That prompted a panel review of
her service and the panel made a discharge
decision, as the case constitutes a reason
for being unable to continue service.
Following the decision, Byun came out in public
and held a news conference before TV cameras.
She said her unit and superiors were aware
and supportive of her decision to proceed
with the surgery, and had knowingly signed
off on her travel to Thailand for the procedure.
However, the Army’s explanation was slightly
different. “That kind of surgery is not
subject to approval but a matter of individual’s
choice and, we only approved Byun’s leave,”
an Army official said on condition of anonymity.
“We also informed Byun in advance that he,
now she, could not serve in the military if
she had surgery,” he added. In this regard,
Byun explained that she had been told the
surgery could prevent her from serving in
the military but has not received any official
documents or notices.
Some criticize the Army’s decision in that
judging the sex change operation itself as
a physical disorder could constitute discrimination
based on gender identity. Some even argue
that gender reassignment is not directly linked
to loss of combat capabilities. However, there
are also different opinions. For example,
one of the comments on our video said “if
she wants to serve as a female officer then
she should re-enlist as a female officer,
not continue on.” In fact, the army official
also said there should be no reason for the
military to deny Byun if she reapplied to
serve in the female corps after legally becoming
a woman. Some female soldiers may find it
uncomfortable to be in intimate settings with
a transgender as well. What are your thoughts
on this? Please let me know in the comments
below and thank you for watching Korea Now.
