South Korea’s first transgender soldier was recently found dead, exactly one year after being discharged from the military.
According to local news outlets, emergency workers found 23-year-old Byun Hui-su dead at her own residence in the district of Cheongjum which is situated just south of Seoul. The shockingly tragic incident took place on Wednesday, right after counselors claim that they couldn’t have any contact with her.
Byun was rated as one of the top drivers in the tank regiment, right before she was discharged from her post in the military last year. Reports confirmed how she was on leave as she always wanted to be a woman and hence wanted to go for her gender re-consignment surgery. For this reason, she traveled to Thailand for her operation.
During that time period, many military leaders in ruling positions felt that she was suffering from a sort of mental or perhaps a physical disability. And that is why many excluded her from serving in the female ranks.
At a public press conference last year, she stood out while breaking down into tears, right after she was discharged. Moreover, she begged officials to let her back into the military but they failed to pay any heed. She called it as her life dream to serve in the ranks but again, her thoughts held no values for those serving in higher positions.
After her dismissal, the 23-year-old even filed a lawsuit and the hearing for the case was due in April, confirmed a spokesperson for the Military Human Rights in South Korea.
Today, the cause of her death is still under investigation and is yet to be made clear. Police claim that a thorough investigation is underway. On the other hand, a spokesperson for a mental health facility where she was taking treatment mentioned how it most likely appears that the 23-year-old chose to end her own life.