愛污传媒

Skip to main content

South Korean military to appeal ruling on transgender soldier

South Korean army Sgt. Byun Hui-su speaks during a press conference at the Center for Military Human Right Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean army Sgt. Byun Hui-su speaks during a press conference at the Center for Military Human Right Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Share
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA -

South Korea's military said Thursday it will appeal a landmark court ruling that struck down its decision to discharge the country's first known transgender soldier before she was found dead earlier this year.

A district court ruled this month that the military unlawfully discriminated against the soldier by forcing her out last year for undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

The Defense Ministry said it respects the verdict but has decided to let the army appeal. Ministry officials said they asked the Justice Ministry to approve the filing, a process required by law.

In response to questions by The Associated Press, the Justice Ministry said it'll make a decision on the appeal request soon after reviewing major legal issues and other aspects of the case.

An appeal could draw strong protests from human rights groups, which have been urging the military to accept the verdict and work out measures to guarantee service for sexual minorities.

"The government may appeal, but our position is that they must not do so because that's the attitude the government must have in the democratic society," said activist Cho Kyu-suk with the Center for Military Human Rights Korea.

Cho called the appeal a delaying tactic because the military worries about a possible backlash from conservatives while having no policy on transgender soldiers.

South Korea prohibits transgender people from joining the military but has no specific laws on what to do with those who have sex change operations during their time in service.

When the army discharged Byun Hui-su in January last year, it cited a law provision allowing it to dismiss personnel with physical or mental disabilities if those weren't a result of combat or suffered in the line of duty.

In its Oct. 7 ruling, the Daejeon District Court ruled against the discharge, saying that Byun had already informed the army that she had registered her request to change her legal status as a woman with another local court.

Her request for a legal gender change was approved less than a month after her discharge.

Defense Minister Suh Wook told lawmakers Thursday that a decision on allowing transgender people in the military must come after reviewing whether there's a public consensus and how it would affect military morale.

He earlier said the army considered Byun as a male soldier when it discharged her.

Byun was found dead at her home in March at age 23. Before her discharge, Byun, a staff sergeant, told reporters that she wanted to serve as a female soldier near the tense border with North Korea.

Under conscription aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea, all able-bodied men in South Korea must serve 18-21 months in the military. Byun voluntarily joined as a non-commissioned officer to become a professional soldier.

Public views on gender issues in South Korea have gradually changed in recent years. However, a strong bias against sexual minorities still runs deep.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING

BREAKING

Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.

The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

The RCMP is warning residents in northeast Saskatchewan to seek shelter and avoid picking up hitchhikers as police search for a group of armed and dangerous suspects.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.