An opposition lawmaker is pushing to revise military laws that govern homosexual relations between officers by specifying those who are subject to punishment and expanding the scope of penalties, the Center for Military Human Rights said Wednesday.
In a letter to other lawmakers, Rep. Min Hong-chul of the main opposition Democratic United Party said he plans to submit a revision bill to specify inappropriate sexual acts between service members and punish those who partake in them.
Min proposed to change the term "sexual assaults" to "homosexual adultery" to punish both sides who are engaged in sodomy, such as anal and oral sex, because only soldiers who force others to engage in homosexual relations can be jailed up to two years under current military criminal law.
The military rights center and activists criticized Min's push to revise the bill, arguing it could infringe upon rights of service members.
"The move to revise the military criminal law could infringe upon individual soldier's rights to choose and receive equal treatment," Im Tae-hoon, the director of the center, said.
In 2011, the Constitutional Court upheld a ban on homosexuality in the military, taking consideration of the special circumstances of the military, which is essentially ruled by strict principle and based on collective living.
Each year, about 300,000 able-bodied young men are conscripted into the military, an integral part of South Korea's defense against communist North Korea. There are over 6,000 active female soldiers serving in the military, according to the ministry.
The two Koreas are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.