Byun Hee-soo, South Korea’s first out trans soldier who enlisted in 2017, has been found dead after being forcibly removed from the military after having transitional surgery, prompting police investigations.
According to Korean news outlet Yonhap, as cited by The Guardian, 23-year-old Hee-soo came out as a trans woman in 2019 and went on to have transitional surgery.
She was recently found dead in her home in Seoul after her mental health counsellor called emergency services to report that she had not been heard from since Sunday.
Hee-soo reportedly suffered from depression attempted suicide three months prior to her death, but the official cause has not yet been announced.