An army captain in South Korea was dishonourably discharged and handed a suspended six-month prison sentence after a military court on Wednesday found him guilty of having sex with another man.

The captain was convicted of violating the Military Criminal Act which states that a soldier engaging in sodomy or "other disgraceful conduct" can be put in jail for up to two years. Gay sex is not illegal for civilians.

The court case comes after General Jang Jun-kyu, South Korea’s army chief of staff, launched a “track-down process” to locate and expose suspected gay personnel.

It is alleged that up to 50 soldiers have been outed after being lured in by fake profiles on popular gay dating apps. It has been reported that 20 personnel faced serious charges.

Amnesty International released a statement denouncing the ruling: "This unjust conviction should be immediately overturned," said Roseann Rife, East Asia research director at Amnesty International.

"No one should be persecuted based on their sexual orientation, activity or gender identity alone. What counts is their service not their sexuality."