In South Korea – just like in Israel – military service is compulsory. But a 26-year-old wanted to avoid the exercise and deliberately gained a lot of weight only to be rejected during the test. That was successful, but the action had legal consequences.
The 169 centimeter tall man managed to reach a weight of 102 kilograms. However, he is said to have increased his food intake several times before the last medical examination in June 2023.
The plan was devised by his friend, who was sentenced to a six-month suspended prison sentence as an accomplice. According to the Korea Herald, he denied the accusation of complicity and said he never believed his friend would “go through with it.”
One year suspended sentence
But the weight gain was successful: the conscientious objector was eventually classified as severely overweight and allowed to serve his military service in a non-combat role with a government agency – and not armed in a barracks. A judge in the capital Seoul has given the man a suspended prison sentence of one year.
Draftees serve 18 months in the Army and Marines, 20 months in the Navy and 21 months in the Air Force. Entry is possible from the age of 18, the legally established entry age is between 18 and 35 years.
Source: Krone
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