South
Korea's Human Rights Commission on Wednesday called
on military authorities to take further steps to
protect gay soldiers who are vulnerable to physical
and mental abuse in the barracks. The independent
government panel has been reviewing the treatment of gay men
in uniform since February, when a 23-year-old soldier
identified only by his surname, Kim, filed a complaint
saying that he suffered mental depression after
enduring harsh treatment for his homosexuality during his
compulsory military service. Kim completed his service last month.
The commission recommended that
the minister of defense better protect gay men on
duty by strengthening conduct standards and
introducing more education programs on human rights and
sexual harassment. The commission also urged military
authorities to issue warnings to some of Kim's superiors.
According to Kim, an army counselor refused to
treat him unless he submitted a photo of himself
kissing or having sex with a male partner to prove his
homosexuality. Kim was also forced to reveal how many times
he had sex with male partners and even had to submit
to a blood test to confirm whether or not he was
infected with HIV or other sexually transmitted
diseases. (Sirius OutQ News)
