S Korean military court convicts gay soldier over sex

Seoul, May 24 (AP) A South Korean military court has sentenced an army captain to a suspended prison term for having sex with a fellow male soldier. Human rights groups have criticized the ruling as regressive, saying it further intimidates the country’s already persecuted sexual minority groups. The lawyer of the captain said Wednesday it’s unclear whether his client would appeal his six month prison sentence that was suspended by a year because he felt tormented by the legal process. He will be dishonorably discharged if the ruling stays. The captain was arrested last month amid allegations by a watchdog that South Korea’s military was hunting down and prosecuting gay servicemen. South Korea’s army has denied such claims. The military penal code makes homosexual activity punishable by up to two years in prison.(AP)