The death of Sergeant Byun Hee-soo, who died after being forced to discharge after undergoing gender reassignment surgery, was not recognized.
According to the military, the Army held an Ordinary Major Injury Review Committee today (1st) and as a result of the examination, Sergeant Byeon's death was classified as a 'general death'.
Soldier deaths are divided into combat, sacrificial duty, and general deaths.
According to the Military Justice Act, if a soldier dies during his mandatory service, he is usually classified as a casualty in the line of duty.
This review was made 1 year and 10 months after Sergeant Byun's death in February of last year, and it has been 1 year and 2 months since October last year when the court's ruling that Sergeant Byun's forced discharge was illegal was confirmed.
It has been seven months since the Presidential Committee on Military Manslaughter Truth Investigation asked the Minister of National Defense on April 25 to review the death of Sergeant Byeon as a 'death in line'.
Previously, the Army defined Sergeant Byun's physical changes after his sex reassignment surgery as a 'mental and physical disorder', and based on this, he was forcibly discharged on January 23, 2020. filed, but was found dead at home on March 3, 2021, ahead of the first defense.
The 2nd Administrative Department of the Daejeon District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in October of last year in the case of a request for cancellation of the discharge disposition, which was carried out by Sergeant Byun's bereaved family, and was confirmed as the Army did not appeal.