SEOUL: In the first such case in South Korea, military officials will determine next week whether to discharge a soldier who recently undertook gender reassignment surgery, officials said Friday. South Korea bans transgender people from joining its military but has no specific regulations on what to do with those who have sex change operations during their time in the service. A rights organization that says it has given counselling to the soldier said the staff sergeant has undergone physiological treatment and hormone therapy for an extended period. Views on sexuality and gender issues in South Korea have been slowly changing, and several gay-themed movies and TV dramas have become hits and some transgender entertainers have risen to stardom in recent years. Activists say transgender people remain likely to face harassment, abuse and insults, and many suffer from depression and have attempted suicide.

Source: Manila Times January 18, 2020 19:41 UTC