Dozens arrted South Korean ary's 'gay wch-hunt' | CNN

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A watchdog group says South Korea's army is huntg down and prosecutg gay servicemen after a vio of male soldiers havg sex was posted onle.

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GAY AND TRANS SOLDIERS SAY THEY WERE ABED SOUTH KOREAN ARY

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. Ex-South Korean soldier says he was abed for beg gay. 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.

AFTER SEX VIO, SOUTH KOREA ACCED OF TARGETG GAY SOLDIERS

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. Gay sex is illegal the ary whether happens on or off base, and regardls of whether one party is not an enlisted soldier.

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. Paranoia about beg outed as gay also creat a discentive for soldiers to report abe if they believe is bee of their sexual orientatn.

KOREAN ARMY CHIEF PUNISHED SOLDIERS FOR BEG GAY AFTER UNRVER INVTIGATN

Jeram and other gay soldiers who spoke to the human rights group did not give a surname for fear of repercsns. Kim was harassed by fellow soldiers who spected he was gay.

“Bee if I didn’t, they were gog to ll my parents and tell them that I was gay. But all the thgs had changed jt bee I’m gay. SEOUL, South Korea — 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.

DOZENS ARRTED AS SOUTH KOREAN ARY NDUCTS ‘GAY WCH-HUNT’

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 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. Korean Street Performer Promot Acceptance Wh ArtIn 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.

SOUTH KOREAN ARMY ACCED OF OUTG GAY SOLDIERS AFTER SEX VIO LEAKS

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 Korean army soldiers walk to take their tras at Seoul Railway Statn on April 20, 2017Ahn Young-joon / APGay 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 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 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.

It said a statement that the vtigatn was proceedg legally and that the privacy of soldiers was beg army also strsed that homosexual activy the ary is banned to allow soldiers to mata "sound and healthy private liv. 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 NBC Out on Twter, Facebook and Instagram.

SOUTH KOREAN URT OVERTURNS NVICTN OF SOLDIERS FOR GAY SEX

Acrdg to a mpaign group, a high-rankg army official South Korea has orred a mass probe to intify gay soldiers. A mpaign group, Milary Human Rights Center for Korea (MHRCK), has claimed that General Jang Junkyu, army chief of staff South Korea, has set out a search to fd and expose all spected gay personnel. So far, the search has intified 50 soldiers, 20 of whom are now facg charg unr the untry’s ary anti-homosexualy laws.

SOUTH KOREAN URT OVERTURNS NVICTN OF SOLDIERS FOR GAY SEX

Although homosexualy is not illegal South Korea, the army retas a of nduct that bans homosexualy and a soldier who ms “disgraceful nduct” n face up to two years prison.

While almost all major Wtern untri now allow openly gay soldiers, South Korea has yet to change s l.

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

South Korean ary prosecut gay soldiers. Activists say around 32 homosexual soldiers have been arrted recent months. Sergeant A is part of a wir vtigatn which human rights groups are llg a homophobic wch-hunt, an accatn the ary rejects.

Homosexualy is not illegal for civilians South Korea but human rights groups say the rights of sexual mori are not always protected.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* KOREAN ARMY GAY

Gay and trans soldiers abed and harassed South Korean ary: report | CNN .

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