Responding to the introduction of a bill to outlaw discrimination in South Korea, including against LGBTI people, Arnold Fang, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher, said: “A law to effectively protect everybody from discrimination, including LGBTI people, could make South Korea a pioneer in Asia for passing such legislation. This is a welcome initiative which, if followed through, would give hope and safety to many. “International law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. National legislation in South Korea to

Conscientious objectors in South Korea will continue to be punished and stigmatised for refusing military service under a new alternative service law that was adopted today by the country’s parliament, said Amnesty International. Under the new law, those refusing military service on religious or other grounds will be required to work in a jail or other correctional facility for three years. Previously, they would have been jailed for 18 months. Landmark rulings by the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court in 2018 in effect recognised the right to conscientious objection in the country

Gay and trans soldiers in South Korea face violence, harassment and discrimination due to the criminalisation of consensual sex between men in the military, Amnesty International said today in a new report calling for the unjust law to be abolished. The 42-page report, Serving in Silence: LGBTI People in South Korea’s Military, the physical and mental reveals the devastating impact that criminalising consensual same-sex activity in South Korea’s military has on LGBTI people. In South Korea, it is compulsory for all men to perform a minimum 21 months of military service. Article 92-6 of the

Country’s highly restrictive abortion laws to be reformed by end of 2020 Spotlight on UK Government to reform Northern Ireland abortion law as UK slips “further and further behind on women’s rights” – Grainne Teggart Responding to a ruling by South Korea’s Constitutional Court that orders the government to decriminalise abortion in the country and reform its highly restrictive abortion laws by the end of 2020, Roseann Rife, Amnesty International’s East Asia Research Director commented: “Today’s ruling is a major step forward for the human rights of women and girls in South Korea. “The country