Dressed in blue, potential conscripts undergo physical examinations at a regional Military Manpower Administration testing center in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 7, 2022. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The Defense Ministry said Friday that it will seek to remove a requirement that transgender women must have received hormone therapy to qualify for alternative forms of national service.
According to ministry officials, the ministry submitted a proposal on Dec. 13 to amend its ordinance on pre-service physical examinations, which are used to sort conscripts into ranked categories of physical fitness that determine the forms of service in which they can enlist.
In its proposal, the ministry seeks to allow transgender women, even if they have not undergone six months of hormone therapy, to enlist in alternative service, also known as public service, which includes three weeks of basic military training.
Under South Korean law, all able-bodied male citizens are required to complete at least 18 months of military service, with exceptions made for those who do not meet physical fitness requirements, have pre-existing conditions, or are conscientious objectors.
Such individuals are either exempted entirely or required to complete other forms of service, depending on the reason.
While current regulations exempt transgender women from military service if they have undergone at least six months of hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries, the exemption does not apply to those who have done neither.
An official from the Defense Ministry said it is pursuing the revision in light of multiple complaints from individuals who have undergone multiple re-examinations after not meeting the requirements for exemption.
The official also said the ministry plans to establish a suitable environment in which transgender women assigned to alternative service can undergo training if the rules are changed.
The military’s treatment of transgender people has come under scrutiny in recent years.
In January 2020, the Army dismissed 23-year-old Sgt. Byun Hee-soo after she underwent a sex-change operation in Taiwan during her temporary leave from the Army base in northern Gyeonggi in November 2019.
While Byun was able to change her gender to female on all of her legal documents, including family register listings, the Army hospital deemed her mentally and physically ill because of her missing male genitalia and thus unfit to further serve in the Army.
Byun filed an administrative suit against the Army on Aug. 11, 2020, arguing that its treatment of her was unconstitutional, but died by suicide in March 2021 at her house in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, before her case was resolved.
The Daejeon District Court ruled in October 2021 that Byun was clearly a female by law and advised the Army to annul its statements describing Byun as disabled and formally rescind its decision to dismiss her.
BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
