How a 26-year-old South Korean man managed to avoid his country’s mandatory military service – with the help of a friend

A man from South Korea avoided being drafted into his country’s army by gaining weight, a court heard.

The crafty dodger, who is 26, began binge eating before his physical examination and was subsequently categorized as obese.

This allowed him to serve in a non-combat role with a government agency rather than being called up for combat duty.

According to local media, the Korean Herald, the suspect was initially found fit for combat duty during an initial physical examination.

But during his final exams he was found to weigh over 102kg, making him obese.

A court in South Korea gave the man a one-year suspended sentence, while a friend who devised a special regimen that doubled his daily food intake received a six-month suspended sentence.

The man who recommended the binge diet had denied the charge of complicity, insisting he never believed his friend would go through with it.

One of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea (ROK) reportedly had 500,000 active and 3,100,000 reserve officers in 2022.

Conscription in the country requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 28 to perform mandatory military service.

Women are not required to do so, but can volunteer as officers, noncommissioned officers, or petty officers.

When a man turns 19 years old, or in some cases 20, he must undergo an impairment and disability assessment to determine if he is fit for military service.

The grounds for full exemption include “those who are unable to perform military service because of illness or mental or physical incompetence.”

While ‘those whose physical and psychological constitution is not so sound for active training’ may be ‘called upon for additional service or the second civilian service’.