S Korea blocks army from appealing transgender soldier case

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Justice Ministry has blocked the army from appealing a landmark court ruling that said it unlawfully discharged the country’s first known transgender soldier before she was found dead earlier this year. The ministry, which oversees lawsuits filed by government branches, says its decision to instruct the army not to appeal was based on legal logic as well as the constitutional spirit of respecting human dignity and public sentiment. Seoul’s Defense Ministry said earlier this week it decided to let the army appeal in the case of former Staff Sergeant Byun Hui-su and requested the Justice Ministry to approve the filing. That angered human rights advocates, who urged the military to accept the verdict and work out measures to guarantee service for sexual minorities.