‘Existence nied’: ex-soldier reveals what ’s like to be gay South Korea’s strict ary | South Cha Morng Post

Contents:

• IN SOUTH KOREA, GAY SOLDIERS CAN SERVE. BUT THEY MIGHT BE PROSECUTED.
• GAY AND TRANS SOLDIERS SAY THEY WERE ABED SOUTH KOREAN ARY
• SOUTH KOREA’S HIGHT URT OVERTURNS ARY NVICTNS OF TWO GAY SOLDIERS
• SOUTH KOREAN URT OVERTURNS NVICTN OF SOLDIERS FOR GAY SEX
• S​OUTH KOREA’S SUPREME COURT ​ISSU LANDMARK RULG ON GAY SEX
• S. KOREA’S TOP URT OVERTURNS NVICTNS OF GAY SOLDIERS
• SOUTH KOREA MILARY IS ACCED OF CRACKG DOWN ON GAY SOLDIERS
• SECRETS AND CRIM: GAY SOUTH KOREAN SOLDIERS TRAPPED LEGAL BD
• AFTER SEX VIO, SOUTH KOREA ACCED OF TARGETG GAY SOLDIERS

IN SOUTH KOREA, GAY SOLDIERS CAN SERVE. BUT THEY MIGHT BE PROSECUTED.

Kim is one of an creasg number of gay or transgenr soldiers who have been persecuted unr Article 92-6 of the Army Crimal Act, which has been ed to out them and punish them for nsensual sex, Amnty Internatnal said a report released on Article 92-6, “anal sex and other cent acts” between ary personnel n be punished by up to two years prison, even if they take place off base, while the soldiers are off duty and by mutual nsent. All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve for about two ary says do not bar gay and transgenr people om servg, and the Defense Mistry has expand trag on protectg the rights of sexual mori.

Lim South Korea, which has been slow to embrace the rights of sexual mori, that 2017 crackdown triggered an unual gree of recent years, gay people have bee more visible the untry. But nservative Christian groups have also lated monstratns agast homosexualy major ci, often llg gay soldiers a threat to ary groups helped to scuttle attempts Parliament to pass an anti-discrimatn law, urged on South Korea by the Uned Natns, that would give sexual mori the same protectns that other mory groups have. Amnty Internatnal’s report scrib vivid tail how antigay attus have translated to physil and sexual abe wh the former soldier told the rights group he had been forced to have oral and anal sex wh another gay soldier, as a superr tnted, “Don’t you want to have sex wh a womanlike man?

The South Korean soldier had seen another low-rankg nscript, emed effemate and spected of beg gay, beg sexually abed, beaten and forced to drk om a toilet bowl by other soldiers.

GAY AND TRANS SOLDIERS SAY THEY WERE ABED SOUTH KOREAN ARY

In a statement to CNN, South Korea’s Defense Mistry said had polici place “to protect homosexual soldiers’ human rights and to guarantee an environment which they may serve the ary equally wh other soldiers, ” and provid specialist unselors for victims of sexual vlence and human rights ab. Dpe a ary directive passed 2009 llg for greater protectns for gay soldiers, LGBT nscripts still face spicn, harassment and prosecutn unr Article 92-6 of the Milary Crimal Act, which mak sexual activy between men punishable by up to two years prison. In 2017, dozens of men were arrted what was scribed as a “gay wch-hunt, ” wh superrs g gay datg apps and spectns of soldiers’ phon and social media to track down LGBT nscripts.

South Korea’s supreme urt has thrown out a ary urt lg that nvicted two gay soldiers for havg sex outsi their ary facili, sayg stretched the readg of the untry’s wily cricised ary sodomy urt’s cisn on Thursday to send the se back to the high urt for armed forc was weled by human rights advot, who had long protted the untry’s 1962 ary crimal act’s article 92-6, which prohibs same-sex nduct among soldiers the untry’s predomantly male article prcrib a maximum prison term of two years for “anal terurse” and “any other cent acts” between ary personnel. They were among at least ne soldiers who were dicted what crics scribed as the army’s aggrsive crackdown on gay soldiers fendants had appealed after the ary high urt upheld their nvictns by a lower urt based on article 92-6 and gave them spend prison Korea’s fence mistry said will “refully exame” the supreme urt’s cisn while proceedg wh the se sent back to the ary Seoul-based Center for Milary Human Rights weled the cisn, sayg set a new judicial precent that uld help tackle discrimatn agast sexual mori the ary and strengthen protectn of their group a statement lled for urts to acqu all service members charged wh vlatg article 92-6 and for the untry’s nstutnal urt to le the provisn as Korea’s ary has long been cricised over how treats sexual mori among s service district urt Daejeon cy October last year led that the army unlawfully discrimated agast the untry’s first known transgenr soldier, Byun Hui-su, by dischargg her for unrgog genr reassignment surgery, a verdict that me seven months after she was found ad at her home. The Amnty Internatnal report Servg Silence: LGBTI People South Korea’s Milary revealed the stctive impact on LGBTI (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Intersex) people ed by the crimalizatn of nsensual same-sex activy South Korea’s ary.

SOUTH KOREA’S HIGHT URT OVERTURNS ARY NVICTNS OF TWO GAY SOLDIERS

Homosexual activy is not illegal for South Korean civilians but same-sex relatnships for men the ary have been subject to crimal mistry of fence said would thoroughly review "the tent of the Supreme Court's lg". In the past, South Korean thori have fend the ary agast same-sex relatnships as necsary to mata two fendants were dicted 2017 for havg same-sex terurse 2016, while off duty and outsi their base, which is punishable wh prison for up to two years unr the Milary Crimal rights groups have for years lled on South Korea to crimalize same-sex relatnships for men the ary, warng that laws fuel vlence, discrimatn and stigmatizatn agast gay soldiers.

Download the NBC News app for breakg news and polics Homosexual activy is not illegal for South Korean civilians, but same-sex relatnships for men the ary have been subject to crimal mistry of fense said would thoroughly review “the tent of the Supreme Court’s lg.

” In the past, South Korean thori have fend the ary agast same-sex relatnships as necsary to mata two fendants were dicted 2017 for havg same-sex terurse 2016, while off duty and outsi their base, which is punishable by up to two years prison unr the Milary Crimal rights groups have for years lled on South Korea to crimalize same-sex relatnships for men the ary, warng that laws fuel vlence and discrimatn agast gay soldiers. Asia Pacific|S​outh Korea’s Supreme Court ​Issu Landmark Rulg on Gay Sex ADVERTISEMENT​The urt said that the ary should not punish nsensual sex acts that had taken place a nonary In-Chul/Yonhap, via Associated PrsSEOUL — The Supreme Court of South Korea issued a landmark lg agast the ary’s s-old ban on homosexual activi on Thursday, strikg down guilty verdicts for two male soldiers who were dicted on a charge of havg nsensual sex while off their Korea’s Milary Crimal Act lls for up to two years prison for “anal terurse or other cent acts. Punishg the two soldiers for this vlated “their sexual tonomy” and “the nstutnally guaranteed right to equaly and human digny, as well as their right to pursue happs, ” the top urt said on Thursday, sendg the se back to a lower ​ary ​ rights groups hailed the verdict, llg “a major step forward” or “a huge victory” for the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex people.

SOUTH KOREAN URT OVERTURNS NVICTN OF SOLDIERS FOR GAY SEX

But said wanted to root out illegal homosexual activi and protect morale and disciple among groups have long ​​lamented ​what they lled the “archaic and discrimatory”​ ary and a pervasive stigmatizatn faced by L.

In recent years, powerful right-wg Christian groups have tensified a mpaign agast homosexualy, scuttlg a bill that would have given sexual mori the same protectns as other mory have argued that sex among gay soldiers would spread AIDS the South Korean ary and unrme s reads to fight North Korea.

S​OUTH KOREA’S SUPREME COURT ​ISSU LANDMARK RULG ON GAY SEX

South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday, April 21, 2022, threw out a ary urt lg that nvicted two gay soldiers for havg sex outsi their ary facili, sayg stretched the readg of the untry’s wily cricized ary sodomy law.

South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a ary urt lg that nvicted two gay soldiers for havg sex outsi their ary facili, sayg stretched the readg of the untry’s wily cricized ary sodomy law.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a ary urt lg that nvicted two gay soldiers for havg sex outsi their ary facili, sayg stretched the readg of the untry’s wily cricized ary sodomy urt’s cisn to send the se back to the High Court for Armed Forc was weled by human rights advot, who had long protted the untry’s 1962 Milary Crimal Act’s Article 92-6, which prohibs same-sex nduct among soldiers the untry’s predomantly male article prcrib a maximum prison term of two years for “anal terurse” and “any other cent acts” between ary personnel.

S. KOREA’S TOP URT OVERTURNS NVICTNS OF GAY SOLDIERS

They were among at least ne soldiers who were dicted what crics scribed as the army’s aggrsive crackdown on gay soldiers fendants had appealed after the ary high urt upheld their nvictns by a lower urt based on Article 92-6 and gave them spend prison Korea’s Defense Mistry said will “refully exame” the Supreme Court’s cisn while proceedg wh the se sent back to the ary urt. The fendants’ nduct, said, “is nsired ntrary to good sexual moraly, ” and was “serly gg” on the matenance of ary homosexualy is not illegal South Korea, remas taboo a largely nservative society.

Gay and trans soldiers South Korea face vlence, harassment and pervasive discrimatn due to the crimalizatn of nsensual sex between men the ary, Amnty Internatnal said as released a new report outlg why this unjt law mt be abolished. Productive and driven, he was a mol army officer, but he had a secret: he was a gay sexual relatnship wh a fellow soldier – a crime unr South Korea’s ary kept his sexualy hidn om everyone, cludg iends and fay, only meetg his lover off-base and after acts are legal for South Korean civilians, although homosexual people live largely unr the radar as remas a nservative society, fluenced by evangelil the South Korean ary class openly gay men s ranks as havg “special needs” and mpaigners say actively pursu soldiers who have nsensual same-sex terurse wh each other. Photo: AFPExplaed: gay rights, LGBTQ and same-sex marriage Asia“I worked very hard as an officer, but none of that mattered when I beme a spect, ” said the 27-year-old, who asked for anonymy.

“There were days when I jt wanted to die, ” he add, explag that he was ught after thori disvered his msag on his partner’s faced a crimal nvictn and a possible forced outg to his parents, whom he had hoped would never fd out the tth about his homosexualy, scribg them as “nservative, vout Christians” Korea has a nscript army to fend self agast the nuclear-armed North, wh all able-bodied male cizens obliged to serve for nearly two is as if my entire existence was beg nied... I should never have been chargedAnonymo 27-year-old ex-South Korean soldierDog so is seen as a patrtic duty, and failure to plete service n brg endurg stigma that affects social standg, employment prospects and Korea is also the world’s only advanced enomy to make nsensual gay sex between soldiers a crime unr ary l. 6 of s crimal , known as the ary sodomy law, soldiers n be jailed for two years wh labour if nvicted at a urt homosexual men this n mean havg to live a double officer was among 22 soldiers arrted durg a 2017 quiry to homosexual activy the was luckier than most his posn: he was charged durg his last month of service, so his se was transferred to a civilian urt and he was later Korean soldiers salute.

SOUTH KOREA MILARY IS ACCED OF CRACKG DOWN ON GAY SOLDIERS

Dpe promis of Mahathir Mohamad’s Pakatan Harapan, nobody knowsSouth Korea’s armed forc ed tsive “wch-hunt like” tactics the search for alleged wrongdog acrdg to the Milary Human Rights Centre for Korea (MHRCK), an advocy group part of the 2017 probe, vtigators forced spects to msage datg app ers ont of them to hunt down other gay soldiers, navy officers are currently unr vtigatn for vlatg clse 92. A landmark urt lg India scrapped a lonial-era ban on same-sex relatns last year, but the untry’s army chief said January that gay sex would not be tolerated his forc – one of the largt the Indonia, LGBT muni viewed as a moral threat – nmned by relign and, creasgly, by lawIn the South, 12 of the 2017 tae – the officer AFP terviewed is not among them – have challenged article 92. AdvertisementSKIP Yik Fei for The New York TimApril 26, 2017SEOUL, South Korea — At a time when South Korea is stgglg to ter North Korea’s nuclear threats, human rights advot say s ary is targetg gay soldiers s recent weeks, the army has foced on dozens of those soldiers what rights groups say is a mpaign agast gay men the 620, 000-member ary.

At least 32 faced crimal charg of “sodomy or other disgraceful nduct, ” acrdg to the domtic news media and lawyers and rights advot faiar wh the Tuday night, the issue of gay rights beme a foc South Korea’s printial race, when the ndidate who leads the polls, Moon Jae-, joed another ntenr sayg that he opposed homosexualy.

Crics said the statement was a stark tactic to w support among nservative South Korea, the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people are a largely taboo and polilly unpopular subject. It sisted that was not crackg down on gay soldiers; stead said that was tryg to root out sodomy and other homosexual activi, which right-wg Christian groups have lled a growg blight on s reads to fight North Korea’s 1. 2 ln-strong the past week, evince has emerged to support the allegatns by gay soldiers that vtigators flouted the army’s own regulatns on how to treat gay service members by preyg upon the soldiers’ fear of shame and abe if they are outed the ary.

SECRETS AND CRIM: GAY SOUTH KOREAN SOLDIERS TRAPPED LEGAL BD

Analysts and veterans said bullyg, hazg and sexual vlence were chronic a seri of telephone nversatns secretly rerd March and April, an army vtigator warned a gay sergeant agast seekg help om lawyers or the Natnal Human Rights Commissn. “If he hir a lawyer, that means he is outg himself, ” the vtigator says the rerdg, upload to the webse of the Milary Human Rights Center for Korea, based is unknown how many gay soldiers were punished unr the anti-sodomy law before the recent flurry of soldiers said they feared that they were beg spegoated the recent quiry as part of an effort by the army to nta sexual abe.

Army regulatns ban discrimatg agast gay soldiers and forbid intifyg or outg gay men or askg about their sexual the vtigators routely asked gay soldiers qutns about their sexual history and orientatn, said Mr. Although South Korea has ma stris mocratizg and improvg basic rights recent s, lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people have been largely left out, rights groups Korea do not regnize same-sex marriage.

All major ndidat for the printial electn May have vowed to oppose the Constutnal Court led 2015 that adultery was no longer a crime, many church seized on homosexualy as a vice to nounce, anizg ralli to unter gay-pri Mistry of Edutn do not allow lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr issu to be part of sex tn for stunts. ”“What the vtigators have found is jt the tip of an iceberg, so wispread is homosexual activy our ary, ” said Kim Young-kil, a retired army lonel who leads the Jt Milary Human Rights Instute and supports a crackdown on gay sex the ary.

AFTER SEX VIO, SOUTH KOREA ACCED OF TARGETG GAY SOLDIERS

AdvertisementSKIP Yik Fei for The New York TimMay 24, 2017SEOUL, South Korea — A ary urt South Korea sentenced an army pta to six months prison on Wednday for havg sex wh other servicemen, igng an outcry agast what rights groups lled a homophobic “wch hunt” the untry’s prison term for the pta was spend for one year, which meant that if he did not break the law aga the next year, he would not go to prison.

“What unts is their service, not their sexualy, ” she Rife said South Korea should repeal an “archaic and discrimatory” provisn s Milary Crimal Act that outlaws sex between gay soldiers and to “get up to date when to the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and tersex people. In recent years, powerful right-wg Christian groups have tensified a mpaign agast homosexualy, scuttlg a bill that would have given sexual mori the same protectns as other mory his printial mpaign, the untry’s newly elected lear, Moon Jae-, a human rights lawyer and liberal, disappoted rights groups who have otherwise supported him by sayg that he opposed homosexualy and same-sex pta was arrted on April 13, as the army was ferretg out dozens of soldiers spected of havg same-sex relatnships what rights groups said was a mpaign agast gay men the 620, 000-member ary.