After sex vio, S. Korea acced of targetg gay soldiers | AP News

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A watchdog group says South Korea's army is huntg down and prosecutg gay servicemen after a vio of two male soldiers havg sex was posted on the ter earlier this year, stokg fear an already persecuted mory group. Milary vtigators lookg to the se have threatened soldiers to out their gay peers, nfisted cellphon to check munitn rerds, and even ed datg apps to dupe soldiers to revealg their sexual inty, said Lim Tae-hoon, the head of the Milary Human Rights Center for Korea, which tracks down ab the armed forc. South Korea's army says 's nductg a proper crimal vtigatn to soldiers allegedly volved wh filmg and uploadg the vio, which is a vlatn of the untry's munitns laws and a ary penal that mak homosexual activy punishable by up to two years prison. The army has nied allegatns that vtigators are g the se to embark on a broar missn to weed out gay soldiers. "Milary vtigators ed the rmatn they gaed om the vtigatn on the sex vio to track down other gay soldiers the army, startg by forcg the spects to intify who they had sex wh and then wing their search om there," said Lim, who said a soldier tipped his group off about the alleged crackdown. In nservative South Korea, gays, lbians, bisexual and transgenr people are harshly stigmatized and stggle to be polilly visible, while a powerful Christian lobby immobiliz policians seekg to pass anti-discrimatn laws. That stigma is amplified the ary, where most able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve about two years as the untry matas a large force the face of potential nflict wh North Korea. Gay men are not exempt om nscriptn but are banned om engagg homosexual activy while servg, leadg to an environment which they serve whout revealg their sexual inty for fear of discrimatn and reprisals. "South Korea's ary don't exclu gay men om pulsory duty, but once they enter the ary, they are seen as dangero and treated as potential crimals, as the ongog army vtigatn shows," said Han Ga-ram, an openly gay human rights lawyer. He said the vtigatn had "touched off fear the LGBT muny." "Hate crim agast LGBT people are already a ser problem, and the ernment uld make worse by sendg the wrong msage by punishg gay men the ary," Han said. The army don't reveal rmatn about how often pursu s agast gay soldiers, but Lim said the five years before 2017 he knows of only two s where soldiers were prosecuted for homosexual activy. Sce the start of the year, more than 30 soldiers have e unr vtigatn and one has been arrted, an army pta who did not know the soldiers volved, Lim said. "The soldiers who are beg vtigated had sex wh their partners unr mutual nsent and not si the barracks," Lim said. "The army has ged on the realms of privacy and is falsely claimg that the soldiers mted wrongdogs." Lim said the arrted pta had never met the soldier who upload the vio and he was arrted for allegedly obstctg the vtigatn by layg his appearance for qutng due to his lawyer's schle. The pta's lawyer uld not be reached for ment. Lim's group 2014 unvered the bullyg ath of a 21-year-old army nscript, a se that shocked the natn and led to lls for the Defense Mistry to take ser steps to rce bullyg and hazg the ary. The army didn't provi tails of s vtigatn to the vio, cludg the number of soldiers beg vtigated or why the pta was arrted. It said a statement that the vtigatn was proceedg legally and that the privacy of soldiers was beg protected. The army also strsed that homosexual activy the ary is banned to allow soldiers to mata "sound and healthy private liv." "The army will ntue to al wh activi that dispt the disciple of troops based on related laws," the army said a statement. South Korea's stance ns unter to that of the Uned Stat, which matas bas the untry and is s largt ally. In 2011, the U.S. repealed s policy, known as don't ask, don't tell, which banned open homosexualy the ary. It now allows service members to reveal they are gay whout fear of vtigatn or discharge.