South Korean man guilty of trying to avoid mandatory military service by deliberately gaining weight

A South Korean antheral avoided the subject draught by binge eating until helium gained capable value to suffice for a aesculapian exemption owed to obesity.

The 26-year-old, who present works down a table astatine a authorities agency, had his methods uncovered by officials and was handed a suspended sentence.

All South Korean men implicit 18 are required to service astatine slightest 18 months successful the military—a regularisation that has included footballer Son Heung-min and BTS subordinate J-Hope.

According to Korean media, helium had passed erstwhile aesculapian examinations and was acceptable to enlist unless helium failed a 2nd test. Inspired by actors similar Mark Wahlberg gaining value for roles, helium embarked connected a ngo to battalion connected arsenic overmuch value arsenic imaginable successful a abbreviated time.

On his friend’s advice, helium doubled his regular nutrient intake and went adjacent further by drinking ample amounts of h2o earlier stepping connected the scale. At 1.69m tall, his 102kg value gave him a assemblage wide scale of 35.8, classifying him arsenic heavy obese and moving him up 2 categories connected South Korea’s aesculapian metric compared to his erstwhile exam.

The friend, who suggested the plan, was besides sentenced to six months successful prison, suspended for 2 years, for aiding and abetting. He claimed helium thought his person was joking.

The Seoul tribunal heard that the antheral regretted his actions and pledged to service his subject time. He received a suspended condemnation owed to having nary anterior convictions.

"I enactment connected 30 pounds and went from being a feline who was successful warring signifier to a feline who was wheelchair-bound, suffering from a uncommon muscular degenerative disease," Wahlberg said.

"It isn't thing I would privation to leap astatine doing again.”