South Korea’s First Transgender Soldier Byun Hui Soo has passed away.
Soldier Byun Hui Soo made headlines in early 2020 by becoming the first-ever Korean soldier to undergo male-to-female gender reassignment surgery; she wanted to stay in the military after being involuntarily discharged and had filed a lawsuit against the military.
On March 3, the 22-year-old was found dead in her home after the Sangdang-gu National Mental Health Center contacted police to check up on her, they hadn’t been able to contact her since February 28 and believed she may have had taken her own life.
It’s also been reported that no suicide note was found, and police are still investigating her death.
Byun Hui Soo first enlisted for mandatory military service in March of 2017 and underwent gender reassignment surgery in Thailand in November of 2019 while on leave. She was later involuntarily discharged, the army said that her operation has left her unable to serve, it was the first case of its kind in South Korea.
She filed a lawsuit against the military in August of 2020, and the first hearing was supposed to take place on April 15.
Rest in peace.
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