Dear friends,
Being gay is not a crime in South Korea – as long as you're not in the military.
Earlier this year, investigators told Captain Ji Sung* they knew he was gay. They intimidated him and threatened to out him if he didn't cooperate. A few weeks later, he was sentenced to six months in jail.
Ji Sung is not alone. In the last few weeks, at least 32 soldiers were tracked down by the South Korean military on gay dating apps and interrogated. They should be put on trial soon.
Luckily, Ji Sung's story made international headlines. South Korea's secret anti-gay crackdown is no longer a secret.
Authorities can scrap the "anti-gay hunt" provision from South Korea's Military Code. But they won't do it unless they see a massive global outcry.
This is an issue that affects all gay men in the country: South Korea requires all of its male citizens to serve in the military for two years. And according to South Korea's military criminal code, sex between men is a "crime" punishable by up to two years in prison.
This recent crackdown started after a private video of two soldiers was posted on social media. Military authorities are now saying the crackdown is necessary "to keep the military community sound."
My organisation has been working to support the persecuted soldiers and to repeal this anti-gay provision once and for all. But we can't do it without your help.
We know that thousands of voices from all around the world will help us get South Korean authorities to act.
Thanks for going All Out,
Minhee Ryu
Network for Reporting Discrimination and Human Rights Violation against LGBTI in Relation to the Military and Military Human Rights Centre for Korea
* Name changed
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