South Korean man guilty of binge eating to dodge military service

A South Korean man reportedly tried to become obese to avoid conscription. Photo / Getty Images

A South Korean man has been convicted of evading compulsory military service by eating so much he became too obese to fight.

A court in Seoul sentenced the 26-year-old, who has not been named, to a year in prison suspended for two years.

A friend was convicted of abetting the man after providing a high-calorie meal plan. The friend, also 26, received a six-month suspended sentence, South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported.

The binge-eating man dramatically increased his food intake for three months in hopes of hitting a body mass index (BMI) high enough to be categorised as fit for only non-combat roles.

“The defendant acknowledged his wrongdoing and expressed a commitment to fulfilling his military duty,” said the Seoul eastern district court, according to JoongAng Ilbo. The paper said he was sentenced more leniently as a result.

South Korea, which is still technically at war with its nuclear-armed neighbour North Korea, requires able-bodied men under 30 to undergo about two years of military service.

Exemptions have been given to Olympic medallists and musicians judged to have exceptional skills.

The convicted man qualified for active duty during an initial physical examination in 2017. But he was allowed to postpone his service after arguing he had to sit university entrance exams and other tests.

Five years later, he became eligible for another physical evaluation and that is when he reportedly decided to binge eat, doubling the size of his meals over three months.

He also drank large amounts of water before being officially weighed for his final evaluation and his BMI was recorded as 36.9. Over 30 is considered obese and 35 and above makes a person eligible to carry out social service, rather than military, in South Korea.

It is not clear how the offending came to light.