A South Korean man has been found guilty of deliberately gaining weight to evade mandatory military service, the Korea Herald reported on Sunday.
The 26-year-old, who has not been named, reportedly doubled his daily food consumption and drank a large amount of water just before his physical examination for the military draft, which is compulsory for all able-bodied men in South Korea. He received a one-year suspended sentence for his offense, the outlet wrote, citing a district court judge.
According to the report, the man was assessed at Grade 2 in his initial physical exam in October 2017, the second-highest grade, which would qualify him to serve in a combat role. However, he was reportedly allowed to postpone his service after arguing he had to pass university entrance exams.
Five years later, when he became eligible for another physical evaluation, he reportedly started binge eating, doubling the size of his meals over three months.
At the final examination last year, the man weighed in at over 102kg. He was categorized as obese, allowing him to avoid the military and serve in a non-combat role at a government agency.
A friend who recommended such an approach and reportedly devised the special dietary regimen that led to the drastic weight gain received a six-month suspended prison term, the outlet said.
The accomplice has reportedly denied the charge of aiding and abetting, saying he never believed his friend would resort to such a step.
In a similar incident in 2018, a group of 12 college students studying classical music in Seoul intentionally gained weight to avoid mandatory military service. The students reportedly took protein powder and drank a large amount of aloe vera juice in order become classified as obese.
They were eventually judged too overweight for conscription and were ordered to work for government services instead.