A South Korean man who deliberately gained weight to avoid mandatory military service has escaped imprisonment after pledging to fulfill his duty, CNN reports.
The Seoul court sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the Military Service Act.
The court found the man guilty of intentionally increasing his weight to a point classified as obese (102 kilograms, or 225 pounds), rendering him unfit for active duty. The judge stated that the man “consumed high-calorie foods, approximately doubled his meal portions, refrained from physically demanding jobs…and drank large amounts of water right before measurements to deliberately increase his weight.” This occurred six years after he was initially deemed fit to serve.
However, the court’s decision to suspend the sentence hinges on the man’s subsequent commitment to fulfilling his military obligation.
An accomplice who aided the man in his weight-gain scheme received a six-month suspended sentence for abetting the offense. The man’s age was not disclosed by the court.
Mandatory military service for able-bodied South Korean men has been a contentious issue for decades. Amnesty International reports that hundreds of conscientious objectors have been imprisoned for refusing service on religious or political grounds. The obligation has also significantly impacted the careers of numerous prominent figures in sports and entertainment, notably the K-pop group BTS, which paused its activities to fulfill service requirements.
The case highlights the lengths some take to evade conscription. According to Yonhap news agency, numerous similar instances involving weight manipulation, feigned illness, or self-harm have occurred in the past. While the military has relaxed its stance on tattoos, other methods persist.
A 2018 Constitutional Court ruling mandates alternative civilian service for those with conscientious objections, but the draft itself remains a source of controversy, particularly concerning gender equality. The exemption of women from conscription, with female volunteers comprising only 3.6% of the military, has fueled debate, particularly among those who argue the system unfairly disadvantages men in the competitive job market.
