The Korea Times reports that South Korea is reviewing its ban on homosexual conduct by military personnel under the impetus of a UN reporting requirement. Judging by the article, however, it's by no means clear that homosexual sex will be decriminalized:
The government is working on a human rights report it will submit to the United Nations that states, “We are reviewing the law so it will make the rules clearer for gay soldiers,” adding that not all gay soldiers will be punished for homosexual activity. The report will be submitted to the U.N. human rights body later this month.
Yet, it defended the law’s fundamental purpose: “In a given circumstance where only men stay together, the law is necessary to keep order. Punishment of gay soldiers also serves this purpose.”
In May, the military court sentenced an Army captain to six months in prison, and suspended him for a year, for homosexual activity. According to the Military Criminal Act, sodomy can be punished with up to two years in prison.
The conviction came amid a revelation that the military orchestrated efforts to hunt down gay soldiers and humiliate them openly, which rights activists called human rights violations.
Rights violations for gay soldiers in Korea have been noted by other countries, which officially recommended that in 2012 Korea improve the situation during a U.N. peer review session. The national report is in response to that recommendation.
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