The Ministry of National Defense will immediately discharge 1,000 service members who voluntarily self-reported as transgender.
On the 8th, according to the Washington Post (WP) and others, Minister Pete Hegseth noted through social media that "expressing a false gender identity that does not match one's gender is against the rigorous standards required for military service."
Minister Hegseth conveyed in a memorandum that "service members currently experiencing gender dysphoria or who have a history of being diagnosed can choose to self-discharge and may receive compensation in this case."
According to a press release from the Ministry of National Defense, this discharge implementation is in line with the Supreme Court's ruling on the 6th allowing the immediate enforcement of a policy that effectively excludes transgender individuals from military service.
Spokesperson Sean Parnell stated, "We will initiate self-discharge procedures for approximately 1,000 military personnel who have voluntarily reported gender dysphoria."
The Ministry of National Defense plans to extend the period for active-duty service members to report their voluntary discharge until the 6th of next month, and for reserve service members, until July 7th. After this period, the department will review medical records to identify transgender status and proceed with forced discharge procedures.
According to the Associated Press, the expenses incurred by the Ministry of National Defense from 2015 to last year for psychological therapy, gender-confirming hormone therapy, and gender-confirming surgery approached $52 million (about 7.3 billion won).