"Do We Have to Be This Cruel?" Fellow Soldiers of 'Transgender NCO' Byeon Hee-soo Console His Discharge

After undergoing gender reassignment surgery, Sergeant Byeon Hee-soo, who was forcibly discharged, shed tears and saluted after expressing her position on the military's forced discharge measures at a press conference held at the Center for Military Human Rights in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 22nd.
The Army held a discharge review board for Sergeant Byeon on the 22nd and decided on discharge, stating that "it falls under the reasons for not being able to continue service according to the standards of the Military Personnel Act and related laws." [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] It has been reported that after the discharge decision was made for Sergeant Byeon Hee-su, who wished to continue serving as a female soldier following gender reassignment surgery, her comrades have been pouring out their support and consolation.

Im Tae-hoon, director of the Military Human Rights Center, said on the 23rd on KBS Radio's "Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs," "(Sergeant Byeon) was very distressed. Because she trusted the military a lot. And she still thinks a lot about her comrades," he said.

Regarding the discharge decision for Sergeant Byeon, he explained, "When I finally heard that the discharge decision was made, several calls came from the unit," adding, "Because the result is not sent to the unit but notified to the Armed Forces Hospital."

He continued, "They kept confirming it with her, and at the end, I heard a sigh. 'I'm so sorry I can't help at all.' I saw a strong camaraderie. And I confirmed that calls and encouraging messages kept coming from her peers as well as seniors and juniors," he added.

According to Director Im, Sergeant Byeon's unit submitted an opinion to the Army stating that "there is no problem with her continuing military service."

Im explained, "If the unit wanted to decide not to maintain active duty, they could have conducted an active duty unsuitability review through the unit commander. So even with hormone treatment and a diagnosis of gender dysphoria intending to change gender, they could have discharged her as unfit for active duty. But instead of taking that approach, the unit commander granted her permission for overseas travel so that she could undergo surgery abroad," he said.

After undergoing gender reassignment surgery, Sergeant Byeon Hee-soo, who was forcibly discharged, is leaving the press conference held at the Military Human Rights Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 22nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He added, "The purpose of the trip was clearly stated as medical overseas travel, and we disclosed that document yesterday. The Army Headquarters has been leaking false information through the media, so I wondered why they had to be so cruel until the very end," he claimed.

Regarding the Army's position, he said, "We will have to knock on the court's door to see whether there is a legal issue or not," adding, "Many lawyers contacted me late at night. This clearly constitutes a violation of the constitutional rights to sexual self-determination and equality. I received several calls from those wanting to join the legal team. Considering this, our courts are likely to make a different judgment," he emphasized.

On the previous day (22nd), the Army held a discharge review committee for Sergeant Byeon and decided on discharge, stating, "According to the standards under the Military Personnel Act and related laws, there are reasons that make continued service impossible."

Earlier, Sergeant Byeon underwent gender reassignment surgery abroad using leave at the end of last year and returned to Korea. After returning, she wished to continue serving as a female soldier.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.