A South Korean man found himself in jail after deliberately putting on weight so he did not have to serve his obligatory military service. In his last weeks before being scheduled for the physical exam, the 26-year-old man ate excessively to try and pass as obese or overweight and hence unfit for combat. His strategy backfired into a court fight and serious jail time.
For every male South Korean citizen above 18 years, mandatory military service is compulsorily provided in the armed forces; however, it must be for at least two years. Celebrities, athletes, and ordinary citizens are not exempted from this state of affairs. But that was not what the 26-year-old man wanted. What he wanted and had to do was find a way out of it. It was inspired by a Hollywood actor, Mark Wahlberg, after gaining weight for particular films. On the advice of his friend, he doubled his food and water intake. Then, the man gained many kilograms of weight. The man weighed 120 kg with a body mass index of 35.8, which made him overweight and unable to pass the physical exam for military service.
The man’s friend, who proposed the radical weight-gain strategy, also was not left out in the whole scandal. The friend was given a jail sentence of six months for his contribution to conceiving the scheme. He confessed before the court that he had suggested it as a joke andnever assumed the man would take the idea to his own serious challenge. Even the friend’s defense could not save him, as the court ruled that it was an attempt to avoid doing a national duty.
This is not the first time a South Korean citizen has attempted to for go military service by extreme measures. In 2018, some South Korean university graduates had gained weight deliberately to avoid mandatory service. However, in most instances, such tactics have been condemned and punished, considering that the country takes its national defense seriously.
During the court trial, the court learnt that this 26-year-old man had remorse for his actions and that he apologised for trying to dodge his military service and further resolved that he would participate in performing his military duties. Due to his clean record of no crime and expressing remorse, the court gave a suspended sentence; thus, he would not go to jail at that time.
Military service in South Korea is one of the most significant aspects of national defense. In spite of the tense situation with North Korea, allthe able-bodied men are compelled to join, and those trying to evadehave serious repercussions from the law. The man did somethingcertainly weird, but it reflects the problem of pushing a few individuals who really feel awkward to avoid this responsibility.
The case further brought up issues of fairness, personal choice, and the consequences of the law in evading national service in a country where serving this duty is perceived as substantial to its populace.
Since the imprisonment will now be a reflection of his actions, the story of the 26-year-old South Korean man, who abstained from national duties through peculiar means, shines light on methods some use to dodge national duties. Having the suspended sentence and being committed to service, he was not jailed; however, the current case marks once again that the obligation of military to the country is very serious.
