Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld a law banning same-sex relations in the military, citing a threat to combat-readiness, in a judgment decried by the local LGBTQ community as a disappointing setback.
“Even if sexual acts are consensual” they risk “causing serious harm to preserving the fighting power of the nation’s armed forces, if committed (while on duty),” it added.
But the group said it was encouraged by the comments of the dissenting judges, who warned against deeming sexual acts between same-sex couples as abnormal.
The dissenting judges said there is “no reason” to differentiate between consensual sexual acts by same-sex soldiers and heterosexual ones.
With a mandatory military service imposed on almost all able-bodied men between the age of 18 and 28, South Korea has one of the world’s largest active armies.
Persons:
”, Boram Jang, scuffles, Hong Joon, pyo
Organizations:
South Korea CNN, Constitutional, Amnesty, National Health Insurance Service, South Korea’s, Seoul Queer Culture, Christian, Daegu Queer Culture
Locations:
Seoul, South Korea, Asia, South, Daegu