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A local court issued a ruling last month to permit people to change their legal sex status legally without having to undergo surgery.

According to the Cheongju District Court, Wednesday, judges allowed five people to amend their legal sex from female to male in early April in a verdict that defied the guidelines of the Supreme Court.

The guidelines say whether the person in question has received gender confirmation surgery may be factored in when deciding whether to accept a request to change ones sex on official records.

The judges said telling people to receive surgery to alter their sex organs as a prerequisite to such a request could be a violation of the Constitution, which ensures human dignity and the right to pursue happiness.

Without any law in place regarding the issue, some judges here consider the guidelines as a critical factor, while others disregard them.