Legal repercussions

Fattened up: South Korean escapes compulsory military service

South Koreans and Americans during an exercise in the province of Pyeongchang. (archive picture)(Bild: AFP )

Conscription is compulsory in South Korea. However, a 26-year-old wanted to avoid the drill and deliberately gained a lot of weight in order to be rejected at the draft. He succeeded - but the action did have legal repercussions.

The 169 centimeter tall man managed to reach a weight of 102 kilograms. However, he is said to have multiplied his food intake before the final medical examination in June 2023.

The plan was conceived by his friend, who was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence as an accomplice. According to the Korea Herald, he denied the accusation of complicity and said that he never believed that his friend would "go through with it".

The conscientious objector was eventually classified as severely overweight and was allowed to perform his military service at a government agency.(Bild: AFP )

One-year suspended sentence
But the weight gain was successful: the conscientious objector was finally classified as severely overweight and was allowed to perform his military service in a non-combat role in a government agency - and not armed in a barracks. A judge in the capital Seoul gave the man a one-year suspended prison sentence.

Conscripts serve 18 months in the army and marines, 20 months in the navy and 21 months in the air force. Enlistment is possible from the age of 18; the statutory age of enlistment is between 18 and 35.