A South Korean man has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for deliberately gaining more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) to evade a tougher role in the country’s military conscription system, a Seoul court said Tuesday (November 26, 2024).

In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve in the military for 18-21 months, but individuals with health issues can instead carry out their duties at non-military facilities such as welfare centers and community service centers. If their problems are serious, they are exempted from their military duties.

The Seoul Eastern District Court said it sentenced the man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the country’s military service act.

The court said an acquaintance of the man received a suspended 1-year prison term for aiding his crime.

Local media reported they are friends, both aged 26, but the court said it couldn’t confirm the reports.

An exam in 2017 found the man suitable to become an active-duty soldier at 169 centimeters (5 feet 6 inches) tall and weighting 83 kilograms (183 pounds). But with the advice of his acquaintance that he could get a social service grade if he was overweight, he doubled his daily food consumption, focused on eating high-calorie food products and quit his part-time job as a delivery worker, according to the court’s public affairs office.

In three physical exams from 2022-2023, the man weighted 102-105 kilograms (225-231 pounds), a weight that made him fit for social service. Just before those exams, he drank a large amount of water as well, according to the court.

It was unclear how the crime was caught and whether the man began serving his military duty before he was tried. The court only said the man had promised to fulfill his military duty faithfully.

The court said both the defendants and prosecutors didn’t appeal the Nov. 13 ruling.

South Korea maintains a military conscription system due to threats from rival North Korea. But exemptions or dodging of military duties is a highly sensitive domestic issue, because the draft forces young men to suspend their studies or professional careers.

Each year, about 50-60 cases of dodging military duties have been reported, according to the Military Manpower Administration. It said common ways to evade military duties include gaining or losing weight excessively or men with health issues not taking necessary medical treatments before physical tests.

A South Korean man was sentenced to one year in jail for deliberately binge-eating to avoid mandatory military service. Ahead of his military physical exam, the 26-year-old, whose name has not been disclosed, intentionally gained significant weight, reaching over 102 kg (225 lbs), to be categorised as unfit for combat roles and assigned to a non-combat government position, Korean Herald reported. 

The man reportedly consumed large amounts of food, including instant noodles, pizza, and fried chicken, to rapidly gain weight. He allegedly gained 24 kg (52.8 lbs) in just three months, taking his body mass index (BMI) to 37.8, which is considered obese. The man planned to use his weight gain as a reason to be exempt from military service, which is mandatory for able-bodied Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35.

However, his scheme was discovered, and he was subsequently charged with attempting to evade military service. While the maximum penalty for draft evasion is three years, his sentence was reduced due to his lack of prior offences and a promise to serve faithfully. He received a one-year suspended sentence, while his friend, who helped him double his daily food intake, got six months in jail.

The man’s friend testified in court that he had jokingly suggested the weight gain plan, never expecting his friend to take it seriously and actually go through with it.

All able-bodied men in South Korea over 18 must serve in the army for at least 18 months, as per the BBC. The policy is rooted in the country’s ongoing tensions with North Korea. This universal conscription ensures a steady supply of personnel for the armed forces, which are vital for national defence. While exemptions exist for individuals with health issues or outstanding achievements in fields like sports or arts, avoiding service through deliberate means is heavily penalised. 

In a similar incident in 2018, a group of South Korean college graduates intentionally gained significant weight through excessive eating to avoid mandatory military service, essentially trying to classify themselves as too obese to serve in combat roles. 

In a stunning breakthrough, South Korean police have solved a shocking cold case from 2008, arresting a man in his 50s for murdering his live-in girlfriend and encasing her body in cement on their apartment balcony. According to Korea Times, the gruesome crime went undetected for years, filed as a missing person case until a chance discovery last month. A construction worker repairing a leak on the rooftop balcony stumbled upon a travel suitcase encased in concrete and bricks, containing the partially preserved remains of the victim, identified as B.

Initial investigations in 2011 suspected the boyfriend identified as A, but lack of evidence and leads led to a dead end. However, advances in forensic technology and a thorough re-examination of the case led police to re-question the boyfriend. 

During interrogation, the boyfriend confessed to killing his girlfriend –who was in her 30s at the time–during a heated argument over a romantic issue in October 2008. He admitted to striking her on the head and face with a blunt object. He then placed her dead body into a suitcase, which he buried under a layer of bricks and cement on his balcony.

Fingerprint analysis identified the partially preserved body, and an autopsy revealed blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death. Police promptly identified the boyfriend as the prime suspect and arrested him on September 19 in Yangsan.

Additional revelations exposed how the crime remained hidden for so long. The boyfriend deceived B’s family and the landlord, claiming she had left after an argument. Notably, her family had lost contact with her and were misled about her whereabouts. When they travelled to Geoje in search of their daughter, they were informed by Mr A that the couple had separated, and B had departed the city.

He continued occupying the apartment until 2017 when he was imprisoned for drug charges. The landlord, unaware of the gruesome secret, used the room as storage space, leaving the concrete-encased body undisturbed. 

The boyfriend faces charges related to his drug use, as the statute of limitations for concealing a corpse has expired. Prosecutors will review the case once the investigation is complete.