Lim Tae-hoon, former director of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, was nominated as a candidate for the main opposition party’s satellite party, the Democratic Alliance of Korea, but was excluded from the nomination. There are suspicions that his queer identity may have been a major factor.
English Translation: Juyeon
Translation review: 지니
Writer of the original text: 레이
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel, 에스텔
Web & SNS Posting: 미겔
News Card Design: 가리
In South Korea, there has never been a publicly out member of the National Assembly. The upcoming legislative elections (April 10th) are particularly intense as they occur midway through the presidential term, heightening competition between parties. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP) (a center-left party), formed a coalition with civil society to create the Democratic Alliance of Korea and nominate proportional representation candidates. Through processes like a nationwide audition, civil society recommended Lim Tae-hoon, former director of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea (CMHRK), as a proportional representation candidate for the Democratic Alliance of Korea. Lim, who had publicly come out, drew attention as the potential first openly out member of the National Assembly. However, on March 13th, the alliance deemed Lim unfit for candidacy due to draft evasion, excluding him from the nomination. Suspicions arose regarding whether Lim’s sexuality influenced the decision to exclude him from the nomination.
The Center for Military Human Rights Korea (CMHRK) and Former Director Lim Tae-hoon
South Korea, being a country with mandatory military service, mandates all men to serve in the military. In the military, injustices prevail, posing a significant issue for South Korea. The CMHRK, established in 2009, is a civilian human rights organization dedicated to addressing these issues. Lim Tae-hoon, the former director who was previously involved in LGBTQ+ activism, conscientiously objected to the military law Article 92(6), which penalizes same-sex relations, and opposed the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder in medical examinations, leading to his imprisonment for conscientious objection. Subsequently, as the inaugural representative of the CMHRK, he has exposed numerous injustices within the military over the past decade.
The Center for Military Human Rights Korea has raised its voice regarding LGBTQ+ issues within the military, notably the 2017 incident of outing gay soldiers within the military and the 2020 case of Corporal Byun Hee-soo’s forced discharge. The 2017 incident involved efforts by military officials to identify gay soldiers among active duty personnel through gay dating apps and punish them under Article 92(6) of the military penal code simply for being gay. The CMHRK accused various inhumane practices during this process. They reported instances of coercion, including forcing soldiers to disclose irrelevant details such as sexual preferences, positions, condom usage, and first sexual experiences, threatening outing within the unit for non-compliance. The center also succeeded in securing the acquittal of soldiers charged solely due to their homosexuality.
“This was not solely about the military issue but also about the LGBTQ+ issue. There were also talks of pressure from pastors in the region.”
In 2020, they exposed the unjust discharge of Corporal Byun Hee-soo, who transitioned from male to female, on the grounds of being transgender. They subsequently won a legal battle against the military’s decision, which led to Byun’s tragic suicide during the trial process. In commemoration, preparations are underway for the establishment of the “Byun Hee-soo Foundation” to support transgender individuals. Additionally, the center has played an active role in exposing various injustices within the military, including sexual violence against women soldiers, and advocating for the protection and support of victims.
The reason for Lim Tae-hoon’s disqualification: draft evasion, or sexuality?
Lim Tae-hoon was one of the candidates allocated by civil society for the upcoming April 10th legislative elections. Lim, with his mentioned experience and more, had high visibility among the public and received broad support for his track record of working to promote military human rights. In fact, in the public audition results, Lim ranked second among six male candidates, and in the nationwide text vote, he received the most votes among all 12 candidates.
There are dubious aspects to the Democratic Alliance of Korea’s decision to disqualify Lim Tae-hoon, citing draft evasion. Lim’s case falls under conscientious objection, for which he has already been pardoned, and the Constitutional Court ruled in 2018, during the Moon Jae-in administration, that punishing conscientious objectors was unconstitutional. Particularly, there is a distinction from the unreasonable “military service avoidance” by high-ranking officials. Therefore, civil society suspects that the Democratic Party’s concern over Lim Tae-hoon’s sexuality is questionable. In fact, Reverend Kim Sang-geun, head of the National Candidate Recommendation Examination Committee responsible for selecting civil society candidates, expressed concerns about Lim within the Democratic Party, even when the 12 candidates participating in the public audition were disclosed. He said, “This was not solely about the military issue but also about the LGBTQ+ issue. There were also talks of pressure from pastors in the region.”
The Democratic Party, despite being the leading progressive party, has a history of being passive on LGBTQ+ issues. In the 2020 general elections, the DP attempted a proportional representation alliance with the Green Party, but faced difficulties when the Green Party nominated Kim Gihong, an LGBTQ+ individual, as a candidate, leading to the collapse of the alliance. At that time, Yun Hojung, the Secretary-General of the DP, received criticism for labeling LGBTQ+ issues as “unnecessary disputes,” stating that forming an alliance with parties that could trigger ideological or LGBTQ+-related disputes would be challenging.
The National Candidate Recommendation Examination Committee of the Democratic Alliance of Korea, which has the authority to select civil society-recommended proportional representation candidates, stated, “We strongly condemn the disqualification of Lim Tae-hoon and all ten standing committee members will resign from their positions.” They further stated, “The alliance’s decision to disqualify Lim based on draft evasion is a disgraceful act that disregards human rights and perpetuates discrimination.” Lim Tae-hoon, through his own social media channels, expressed his stance following his disqualification as a candidate, saying, “I hope I am the last person to be deprived of a fair opportunity due to conscientious objection. The frustrating reality we face today will eventually progress along the path of history.”
English Translation: Juyeon
Translation review: 지니
Writer of the original text: 레이
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel, 에스텔
Web & SNS Posting: 미겔
News Card Design: 가리
References (available in Korean)
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