South Korean Man Sentenced for Dodging Draft Through Deliberate Weight Gain

The court ruled that his tactics allowed him to avoid combat duty, resulting in a suspended sentence; his accomplice also received a similar punishment.

A South Korean man has been convicted for attempting to evade mandatory military service by purposely gaining weight, as reported by local media. The defendant, aged 26, engaged in binge eating just before his draft physical examination, leading to a judge in Seoul categorizing him as obese. This classification permitted him to serve in a non-combat role at a government agency instead of facing frontline duty.

The court sentenced him to a one-year suspended prison term. Additionally, his friend, who had encouraged this unusual strategy by helping him implement a regimen that increased his daily caloric intake, received a six-month suspended sentence.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men over the age of 18 are required to serve a minimum of 18 months in the military. Initially, the man had been deemed fit for active duty during an earlier physical assessment. However, during his final examination last year, he tipped the scales at over 102 kg (225 lbs, 16 stone), which classified him as heavily obese.

The friend who devised the binge-eating plan denied charges of aiding and abetting, claiming he never thought his friend would actually go through with the scheme, according to the Korea Herald. This unusual case highlights the lengths some individuals might go to in order to avoid the obligations of national service in South Korea.