South Korea’s SEOUL After attempting to eat his way out of mandatory military service, a South Korean man who wanted to escape it was found guilty.
An official at the Seoul Eastern District Court told NBC News on Tuesday that the guy, who has not been officially identified, was convicted of evading national service after he purposefully attempted to put on so much weight that he would be disqualified for combat duty.
Under the Military duty Act, which stipulates that escaping mandatory military duty without a valid reason can result in terms of up to three years, he was given a one-year prison sentence with a two-year suspension.
Due to a contentious policy that began in the 1950s following the Korean War, South Korea mandates that nearly all physically fit male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 serve in the military for at least 18 months.
According to the court, the individual quadrupled his daily food intake and drank too much water before his physical for the national military conscription. He qualified to serve in a combat role after being evaluated at Level 2, the second-highest level, on his first exam in 2017. However, he was evaluated at Level 4 during a follow-up physical last year, as his weight gain led to a body mass index that categorized him as obese.
As a result of the evaluation, he was spared combat duty and given a non-combat position at a government organization that permitted him to work from home.
According to the court official, the man’s friend, who received a six-month prison sentence with a one-year suspension, gave him the notion to binge eat. In court, the buddy refuted the charge, saying he didn’t believe the man would carry out the recommendation.
According to the court official, the punishments were comparatively light because neither of the individuals had prior criminal convictions.
Above importantly, the officer stated, the individual confessed his transgression and promised to carry out his military duty with integrity.
The officer was unable to verify if the man had begun serving in the military.
Seyed Ismail Nafeesa reported from Hong Kong, while Stella Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.
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