[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Foreign media are focusing on the conservatism of Korean society in relation to the case of Army Sergeant Byeon Hee-soo, who underwent gender reassignment surgery during military service and expressed her desire to continue serving as a female soldier.
On the 23rd, the British BBC reported on Sergeant Byeon's press conference held the previous day, pointing out that "LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) people in Korea are often regarded as having disabilities or mental illnesses." It also mentioned that LGBT is viewed as a crime by powerful conservative Christian groups and that there is no anti-discrimination law protecting sexual minorities. However, the BBC cited a Korean office worker, noting that although slowly, there are signs of changing attitudes in Korea, such as events like LGBT marches.
The US New York Times (NYT), in a Seoul dispatch, diagnosed that Sergeant Byeon's case "well illustrates the unfriendly treatment that lesbians, gays, and transgender people frequently face in conservative Korean society, especially in the military." The NYT also pointed out that human rights organizations have raised many complaints about military service issues related to transgender individuals due to unclear guidelines.
The US Wall Street Journal (WSJ) assessed this issue as a kind of litmus test for what roles gays and transgender people can assume in socially conservative Korea. The WSJ noted, "Although the LGBT community has become more accepted in recent years, Korea remains less tolerant than other East Asian countries such as Taiwan, which legalized same-sex marriage, or Japan, which elected openly gay lawmakers."
These foreign media outlets all referred to Sergeant Byeon using the pronoun "she."
Previously, Sergeant Byeon announced that she was the first in the history of the armed forces to undergo gender reassignment surgery during service and expressed her intention to continue serving. She also submitted a legal petition to the court to officially change her gender from male to female. However, the Army conducted a mandatory physical examination immediately after the surgery, judged her to have a 'Grade 3 mental and physical disability,' and decided on her forced discharge accordingly.
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