SEOUL – The Ministry of Health and Welfare has rejected the National Human Rights Commission of Korea's (NHRCK) recommendation to establish guidelines for the hospitalization of transgender people. This decision follows a complaint by a trans woman who, in October 2021, faced difficulties when seeking hospitalization in a female ward of a Seoul university hospital.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The woman, listed as male on her resident registration and yet to undergo sex change surgery, eventually decided against hospitalization after a dispute with the hospital. The NHRCK had suggested creating separate guidelines for transgender individuals' access to medical institutions, considering this a case of discrimination based on gender identity. However, the Ministry cited the complexity of anticipating the diverse circumstances of transgender people and the need for a thorough review based on social consensus as reasons for not establishing uniform guidelines for hospital room usage by transgender people at medical institutions nationwide.