NEWS: Soldier found dead

BYUN HEE SOO was found dead.

We told you a few months ago about BYUN HEE SOO, the first transgender soldier in the Korean army. He had spoken about his dismissal from the army due to the fact that he was transgender. The young man underwent surgery to switch from male to female.

Will there be a new step forward for the LGBTQ community ?

South Korea’s first transgender soldier, BYUN HEE SOO, was found dead in her home.

According to reports on March 3rd, the 22-year-old was found dead in her home after the Sangdang-gu National Mental Health Center contacted police to investigate. The center representative said they had not been able to contact her since February 28th and believed she may have committed suicide.

A neighbor said:

“The police came to her home 3 months ago when she was considering suicide. A bad smell had been coming from her house for some time now.”

No suicide note has been found and the police are still investigating his death.

BYUN HEE SOO first enlisted for her compulsory military service in March 2017, then underwent gender reassignment surgery in Thailand in November 2019 while on leave. However, she was involuntarily fired for alleged mental and physical disabilities that made her unfit for service, and she filed a lawsuit against the military in August 2020.

The first hearing was scheduled for April 15th.

Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Korean media