South Korea’s first known transgender soldier found dead, prompting anger, reform calls
- Staff Sergeant Byun Hee-soo was forcibly discharged from the army after undergoing gender confirmation surgery in 2019
- Her death triggered an outpouring of grief and calls for South Korean MPs to pass an anti-discrimination bill
Firefighters found Byun Hee-soo in her home in Cheongju after a mental health counsellor called emergency services to report that she had not been heard from for several days, Yonhap news agency reported.
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Transgender soldier discharged from South Korea’s military
Byun, formerly a staff sergeant and in her 20s, enlisted voluntarily in 2017. She went on to have gender-reassignment surgery in 2019 in Thailand.
The defence ministry classified the removal of her male genitals as a mental or physical handicap, and a military panel ruled last year that she would be compulsorily discharged.
At the time she waived her anonymity to appear at a press conference to plead to be allowed to serve, wearing her fatigues and saluting the gathered journalists and cameras. “I’m a soldier of the Republic of Korea,” she said, her voice breaking.
Police confirmed her death and said they were investigating.