{"id":424754,"date":"2024-11-27T02:57:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T02:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=424754"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"S-Korean-puts-on-20-kg-in-bid-to-eat-his-way-out-of-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/S-Korean-puts-on-20-kg-in-bid-to-eat-his-way-out-of-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"S. Korean puts on 20 kg in bid to eat his way out of draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

A South Korean man was handed a suspended prison sentence for intentionally gaining weight in a bid to avoid bootcamp and other strenuous activities in military service, a Seoul court told AFP Tuesday.<\/p>\n

All South Korean men under the age of 30 must perform around two years of military service, mainly because the country remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While all able-bodied men must serve in the military, people with health issues may be assigned alternative duties, which can include working in an office for a municipal government.<\/p>\n

A 26-year-old man was sentenced earlier this month to one year in prison — suspended for two years — for violating the Military Service Act after deliberately binge-eating to gain weight and be classified as unfit for active duty.<\/p>\n

After learning that a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 could exempt him from standard military assignments, the man started trying to put on weight by following a special regime designed by an acquaintance.<\/p>\n

The plan involved doubling his food intake and consuming large amounts of water before medical evaluations.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the man was measured at 169 centimetres (5 feet 6 inches) tall and weighing 83 kilograms (183 pounds).\u00a0<\/p>\n

By 2022, “he weighed 105 kilograms, and in 2023 he weighed 102 kilograms,” the Seoul Eastern District Court told AFP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The acquaintance who encouraged him was also convicted of aiding the legal violation and received a six-month prison term, suspended for one year.<\/p>\n

The court noted that the “defendant has admitted his wrongdoing and expressed willingness to fulfil his military duty sincerely”.<\/p>\n

The Military Manpower Administration maintains a public list of evaders, displaying their names, ages, registered addresses, and reasons for avoidance.<\/p>\n

In 2023, 355 people evaded mandatory military service illegally, the highest since the public listing began in 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Famous figures have been caught faking illnesses to evade or to be exempted completely from military service, including a high-profile celebrity who was accused of pulling his teeth out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, Ravi, a rapper of the K-pop group VIXX, received a suspended sentence after falsifying medical documents that he suffered from epilepsy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He apologised on social media, saying he had made a “foolish decision” because he was “desperate to delay” his military service.<\/p>\n

hs\/ceb\/pdw<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

South Korean men under the age of 30 must perform around two years of military service<\/p>\n

-Jung Yeon-je
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