South Korean man is convicted after binge eating to avoid military service
NBC4 days
S.Korea: Man Convicted of Gaining Weight to Avoid Military Draft
Above: South Korean soldiers participate in an anti-terror exercise during the 2024 Ulchi exercise at KSPO dome on Aug. 20, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. Image copyright: Chung Sung-Jun/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
A 26-year-old man was on Tuesday sentenced to a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, for deliberately gaining excessive weight to dodge mandatory military service in breach of South Korea's Military Service Act.
The defendant was found guilty earlier this month of doubling his daily food intake and drinking large amounts of water before physical examinations in an attempt to become eligible for social service work.
The Spin
Narrative A
It's common sense that it would be better if South Korea could get rid of the military draft and move to an all-volunteer armed force — the country simply can't, though. Other armies that rely on all-volunteer forces are already struggling to recruit soldiers, and that could be even worse in South Korea as its birth rate falls.
Narrative B
While an all-volunteer system may be unfeasible right now, South Korea should focus on increasing the number of volunteer soldiers and reducing that of conscripts. Even in the face of military threats from North Korea, it's pretty odd that South Korea remains one of the few industrialized countries that still draft its young people.