Secrets and crimes: Gay South Korean soldiers trapped in legal bind

SEOUL: Productive and driven, he was a model army officer, but he had a secret: He was in a gay sexual relationship with a fellow soldier - a crime under South Korea's military law.

"There were days when I just wanted to die," he added, explaining that he was caught after authorities discovered his messages on his partner's phone.He faced a criminal conviction and a possible forced outing to his parents, whom he had hoped would never find out the truth about his homosexuality, describing them as"conservative, devout Christians".

Under clause 92.6 of its criminal code, known as the military sodomy law, soldiers can be jailed for two years with labour if convicted at a court-martial.The officer was among 22 soldiers arrested during a 2017 inquiry into homosexual activity in the army. Three navy officers are currently under investigation for violating clause 92.6, MHRCK told AFP, after one revealed he was gay to a military counsellor, who then reported him.

Consensual heterosexual sex is not a crime in South Korea's military, but its conscript army is predominantly male.

Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)

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