Watchdog supports transgender soldier over involuntary discharge from military
Posted : 2021-02-02 15:21
Updated : 2021-02-02 18:16
Byun Hee-soo, center, a former staff sergeant who was forcibly discharged after a sex change operation, holds a press conference in Seoul, in this Aug. 11, 2020 photo. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
The nation s human rights watchdog said Tuesday that it has recommended that the Army cancel its decision to discharge a staff sergeant who underwent a sex change operation, saying the forcible discharge infringed on the person s human rights.
The Army, however, said the forcible discharge was a legitimate administrative measure.
According to the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, a civic group, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended that the Army reverse its decision to discharge former sergeant Byun Hee-soo, and that the Ministry of National Defense revise related regulations in order to prevent a recurrence of such cases.
Watchdog Says Forced Discharge of Transgender Soldier Violates Human Rights
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Byun Hee-soo (C), a former South Korean soldier forcibly discharged after a sex reassignment operation, attends a press conference in Seoul over her legal fight on Aug. 11, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) South Korea’s human rights watchdog said on Friday that the Army’s forced discharge of a sergeant who underwent a sex reassignment surgery while serving in the military was an infringement of human rights by a public authority.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said its plenary meeting held Monday concluded the Army’s decision in January not to allow Byun Hee-soo, then a staff sergeant, to continue to serve in the military as a female soldier had no legal grounds.