South Korean man gains 20kg in bid to avoid draft

A South Korean man was handed a suspended prison sentence for intentionally gaining weight in a bid to avoid boot camp and other strenuous activities in military service, a Seoul court said yesterday.

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All South Korean men under the age of 30 must perform around two years of military service because the country remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea.

While all able-bodied men must serve in the military, people with health issues may be assigned alternative duties, which can include working in an office for a municipal government.

A 26-year-old man was sentenced this month to one year in prison - suspended for two years - for violating the Military Service Act after deliberately binge-eating to gain weight and be classified as unfit for active duty.