The South Korean army reportedly forcibly outing gay soldiers
By Joshua Haigh
The South Korean army is reportedly trying to out gay soldiers in its ranks.
The Military Human Rights Center for Korea (MHRCK) has claimed that General Jang Jun-kyu, the army’s chief of staff, has launched an attempt to bait gay soldiers to reveal their sexuality.
According to reports, one method being used is the setting up of fake profiles on gay apps in a bid to track down closeted soldiers.
It’s believed that over 50 gay soldiers have been indentified so far, with more than 20 of them now facing charges over the country’s anti-gay military law.
“Gen Jang is obviously incapable of leading the army,” MHRCK said in a statement. “He treated his men who did their best to protect their homeland as if they were culprits and made them suffer the most horrible fear — losing personal dignity.”
“He must take responsibility and resign immediately,” added the statement.
Article 92 of the Military Penal Code, which is currently under a legal challenge, singles out sexual relations between members of the same sex as “sexual harassment”, and is punishable by a maximum of one year in prison.
Despite the claims, the army has denied a large scale hunt of gay men, and has only admitted to one incident.
A spokesperson told The Korea Herald: “The investigation team launched the probe after recognizing that an incumbent soldier uploaded a video of him having sexual intercourse with another male soldier on social media.”