In South Korea, a 26-year-old man was convicted and sentenced for deliberately gaining weight to avoid his military service, which is mandatory for men in the country, reports The Korea Herald.
Every man aged 18 to 28 must serve in the Korean military for at least 18 months. Those who attempt to evade this obligation without valid reason risk up to 3 years in prison.
According to the Korean media, the man was first evaluated in October 2017 and deemed fit to serve in the army in a combat role. But in June 2023, during a new physical examination, he weighed 102 kilograms for a height of 1.69 m, or a body mass index of 35.8. However, between 35.0 and 39.9 kg/m², it is class II obesity, at the “severe” stage.
To achieve this weight, the defendant would have doubled his daily food consumption, while drinking a lot of water just before this medical appointment, explains the daily. A state of health that would have allowed him to serve in a non-combatant role, within a government agency, while remaining living at home.
The man, whose identity is not known, is said to have been helped by the advice of a friend, who developed the necessary diet for him. The latter was also sentenced to 6 months in prison for complicity. He denied the accusations, saying he did not think his friend would carry out the act.
In court, the 26-year-old man admitted his faults and pledged to fulfill his military duty, reports The Korea Herald. He was given a one-year suspended prison sentence.
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