“Transgender X Labor” Series: Lee Seung-hyun, Teacher and Researcher
By Park Ju-yeon
Published: March 22,
2026
Translated by Se-young
Kim
March is the month that
marks the beginning of a new semester. Lee Seung-hyun, a visiting professor at
a university, has a busy schedule as he has taken on an additional class this
semester.
He is also a legal
researcher who wrote a master's thesis titled "A Constitutional
Examination of the Legal Determination of Gender: Focusing on the Case of
Transgender Individuals" and a doctoral dissertation titled "A
Constitutional Examination of Hate Speech." As we spoke, he pondered
deeply on how to describe his work and diligently added explanations. He was
particularly enthusiastic when talking about the students, whom he describes as
now "younger enough to be my kids." I could immediately sense clearly
that he was indeed a dedicated teacher.
In March 2026, I spoke with Visiting Professor Lee
Seung-hyun at a cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul. ©Ilda
The conversation
about Prof. Lee’s work naturally led to a discussion about gender identity, and
he also spoke about what kind of work he wanted to do in the future and what
kind of life he wanted to pursue.
-How long have you been lecturing at universities?
I think it's been
10 years. As someone who majored in law, precise terminology is important to
me. (Laughs) So actually, right now I am not a "university lecturer"
but a "visiting professor." I worked as a lecturer for three years,
but with the revision of the Lecturer Act [officially, the “Higher Education
Act”] my contract was guaranteed, and I ended up working for six years [in total]. However, due to this act, universities started hiring fewer
lecturers, and with various other factors compounding, I am currently working
as a visiting professor (non-tenure track faculty, contracted on a semester or
yearly basis). But since people don't really understand my status if I
introduce myself this way, I just say, "I write and teach."
-Was there a particular reason why you chose law as your
major?
I entered
university in 2001. Since
the old bar exam system was still in effect, most people entering law school
were going in with that in mind. However,
I hadn't been able to decide on a major. It wasn't like I was only considering
law. To be honest, high school was a time of severe identity confusion, and
because I was suffering from gender dysphoria and a sense of alienation, the
biggest question on my mind was, "Why can't people commit suicide?" I
was at the peak of my depression. So, I devoured Schopenhauer's books
diligently and wondered, "What about a philosophy major?" I even
grabbed my school’s ethics teacher at the time and asked, "Why can't
people just die [if they want to]?" When I told him I wanted to major in
philosophy, he replied, "So that you'll just starve to death?"
(Laughs)
I just picked the best university I could get into with my CSAT scores, and since the school operated on a broad field-based system (where entering students simply enroll in broad categories like engineering or humanities and then choose their major after one or two semesters), I entered the social sciences division. When I attended the orientation after admission, I noticed that the other students had already gathered all of that information beforehand. When we came outside after the orientation, there were flags from the student council of every [academic] department laid out, and everyone went to the one they wanted. I was the only one going, "What? What is all this?" Then, I spotted a flag that stood out a bit. Its color was slightly different from the others. I thought, "That flag looks good," and went over there. (Laughs) It turned out to be the law department.
I took classes in
several fields over the course of a year, and the ones I enjoyed the most and
consequently got good grades in were in law and sociology. I debated between
the two, but since I had already spent much of my time in the law building for the
past year, I decided to just go with law. However, once I got there I didn't quite
fit in. I didn't have any grand plans, and they didn't even question my gender
there; I was immediately defined as a woman. On the other hand, I heard that in
the manga club I joined right after entering university, there was a month-long
debate about my gender. Back then, I actually felt more comfortable in a place where
people were perplexed by my identity like that. So, I didn't feel connected to
the law department community. On top of that, I went to Japan as an exchange
student in my third year. Even within the law department, I continued to make
choices that were not "typical."
I felt like I absolutely couldn't work
in a place that required a skirt suit.
‘What’s wrong with your
resident registration number?’…
Getting a job became harder after transitioning
-You didn't have much affection for the law department, yet
you went on to graduate school for law.
This was related to
my identity, actually. When it was time to graduate from undergraduate studies,
I couldn’t bring myself to get a job. I felt that I simply couldn't handle the
kind of career where I had to wear a skirt suit to work, and I had no intention
of taking the bar exam. Graduate school seemed to be my only option. Although I
didn't study very hard during my undergraduate years, I had taken an interest
in human rights issues and engaged in some activism. I thought it would be good
to study further about human rights in graduate school. So, I started a
master's program and [eventually] wrote a thesis titled "A Constitutional
Examination of the Legal Determination of Gender: Focusing on the Case of
Transgender Individuals."
Lee Seung-hyun received his master's degree in 2007
with the thesis "A Constitutional Examination of the Legal Determination
of Gender: Focusing on the Case of Transgender Individuals."
I graduated with a
master's degree in the summer of 2007, but I didn't start my doctoral program right
away. I struggled a lot while writing my master's thesis. I agonized over the
question, "What is the constitutional right to request gender
reassignment?" Although I believe I eventually derived some important ideas
in my thesis, I experienced burnout after finishing it.
And then I started
dating someone. I’m not someone who gets romantic feelings often, but it turns
out that once I fall for someone, I am completely head over heels. Around that
time, I moved out of my parents' house. My partner was also transgender and was
undergoing transition (the overall process by which a transgender person
changes socially and physically to align with their gender identity) through
hormone injections. That’s when I decided, ‘I need to do this too.’ However,
once I started the transition process, finding a job became even more
difficult.
Whenever I went for
job interviews, the reactions were like, "What's wrong with your Resident
Registration Number?[1]"
or "You didn't serve in the military, so what is your reason for
exemption...?" I was really lucky to get accepted to one place, and the
reason was that none of the interviewers had seen my Resident Registration Number.
I started working there, but after just a month, my number was revealed, plus I
also realized [separately] once again that I really wasn't suited for a company
job, so I quit after three months.
I had thought
before that working (at a regular company) wouldn’t suit me, but I hadn’t realized
it would be that bad. That's when I had an epiphany. Even though I had struggled
during my master's program, I became convinced that it was actually the most
uncomplicated path. So, I started my Ph.D.
-In some respects, you didn't get here by your own
choice. Are you satisfied with your current position?
My work basically
involves researching and teaching. Both suit me well. I actually find teaching
fun as well. I’m an INTJ (laughs), and I find working alone very pleasing when
I want to bring my ideas to life. Teaching is also enjoyable because I get to ponder,
"What kind of lesson content should I create to align with the goals I’ve
set? What methods should I use?"
And I'm in my 40s
now, and from my late 30s college students in their 20s have seemed so cute to
me. They are practically the age my children would be, after all. I had a
hysterectomy during the transition process, so pregnancy and childbirth are
impossible for me, and at some point, I started feeling a sense of deprivation.
There are stories about pregnant transgender people overseas, but I had never even
imagined something like that... Anyway, perhaps that is why I enjoy interacting
with my students.
Professor Lee Seung-hyun lecturing at the
university. (Photo courtesy of Lee Seung-hyun)
- How is your relationship with the students? There is a
lot of talk these days about the far-right shift of men in their 20s.
I contemplate the
matter more and more. Since the year before last, when I start my classes, I
say, "There is an age difference of over 20 years between me and you.
Therefore, my basic knowledge and common beliefs may differ from yours. Please
share yours with me as well." Although young people's lives have always
been tough, I definitely feel that they’ve become really tough these days. I
can see that students are completely worn out by competition. And perhaps that
is why they are becoming more conservative...
Students are, in
general, genuinely worried that their piece of the pie might disappear. That is
why, when teaching human rights these days, I actually reduce the emphasis on
saying things like, "These are my rights, and I must claim them."
Since that mindset is already established as default, I mention "respect
for others" more often. When I teach large classes, I meet about 400 to
500 students a year, and there are some who submit essays discussing
"reverse discrimination experienced by men." They genuinely believe in
that. In fact, it seems quite a few people hold that point of view these days.
I find myself wondering what to do with these students.
But there was a
moment when I realized that it was because their lives were so hectic. A few
years ago, a male student missed class because of reserve military training. So
I told him, "That's fine, since it counts as class time." However,
his concern wasn't that; he thought that he was at a disadvantage because the
exam questions were based on class material, and he had no friends who would share
their notes with him from the class he missed. So I told him that if he came a
little early next time, I would briefly explain what was covered during his
absence. I can't forget the look on his face at that moment. With tears welling
up in his eyes, he said, "You are the first person who has offered to do
that for me." It struck me all over again how incredibly difficult life is
for these kids.
I feel like there
aren't many good role models for young men these days. I wonder if transgender
men could be those role models? (Laughs)
Our society is co-opted by ‘strong masculinity,’ resulting
in a lack of diverse models of masculinity…
In particular, masculinity involving
minority identities is not visible
-What kind of role model do you want to be for young men?
Rather than denying
the existence of femininity or masculinity, I think re-evaluating and affirming
each would be a better direction to go in. Looking at my own process of
identifying as a transgender person, I didn't identify as "male" from
the start; instead, I identified as "not a woman, at least." Then I
came to identify as a trans man, and now I believe that my identity as a trans
man coexists with my identity as a man.
It’s a bit tricky
to explain, but... back in the 1990s, one of the claims made by feminism was,
"If there were no gender discrimination, there would be no transgender
people." Hearing that made me very angry. Even if I were alone on a
deserted island, I would have experienced body dysphoria (a sense of unease
about one’s body) and thought of myself as not being a woman. The point is that
femininity and masculinity exist, and what matters is how one accepts and
expresses them.
Recently, while
young women have diverse role models, it seems there is a lack of diverse
models of masculinity for young men. It’s as if they have all been absorbed
into a certain ‘strong masculinity.’ In particular, masculinity that involves
minority identities is not represented at all. In that sense, couldn't
transgender men serve as role models?
And I want to show
what an older transgender person looks like. This is also something that is
still missing in our society. I am also thinking of writing an autobiography
once more time has passed.
-What goals do you have regarding your current work?
I consider my
fundamental identity to be that of a researcher. When I was pursuing my
master's degree, I did wonder if I should become an activist [instead], but my
advisor told me, "You can be an activist while doing research." He
advised me to focus on my research. I want to become a researcher who derives
theoretical foundations to support human rights movements, the LGBT movement,
and especially the transgender movement.
Furthermore—I
suppose you could call it a life goal? I want to create a textbook based on law
regarding transgender and intersex (a person with sexual characteristics, such
as hormones, chromosomes, and genitalia, that do not correspond to the typical
gender binary) issues. I want to use it someday when a subject like LGBT law is
established within the field of law.
I also have another
research area of interest:
[early] modern constitutions. While there is much discussion regarding how
Korean law is based on Western law, there is not much research on Asian law or
Korea's past laws. It is a bit strange that law textbooks start by discussing the
French Revolution, isn't it? In fact, our society had the experience of
drafting a constitution [in 1899] before becoming a Japanese colony, but this
is discussed more in the history field than in law. I would like to research
the movements that sought to establish constitutions and human-rights democracy
in Korea, Okinawa, and other Asian countries during that period.
Original article: https://www.ildaro.com/10415
[1] Editor’s note: The seventh digit of Resident
Registration Numbers differs depending on whether the person is assigned male
or female at birth. So interviewers were confused that Professor Lee presented
as male but had a female number.
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