SEOUL, Nov 26 — A 26-year-old South Korean man has been found guilty of evading mandatory military service after deliberately gaining weight to avoid being assigned to a combat role.

The Korea Herald reported Seoul Eastern Dongbu District Court recently sentenced the defendant to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the Military Service Act, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison for those who evade service without valid reasons.

According to the court, the defendant doubled his food intake and drank excessive amounts of water before his final military draft physical exam in June 2023.

He had apparently followed a plan devised by a friend, who provided detailed guidance on how to gain weight.

He was initially assessed as grade 2 in October 2017, qualifying him for combat service, but the defendant's final assessment in 2023 dropped to grade 4 after he weighed in at 102.3kg, with a body mass index (BMI) of 35.8. Standing 169cm tall, he was classified as severely obese, which allowed him to serve in a non-combat role at a government agency while living at home.

According to The Korea Herald, the friend was also sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for aiding and abetting the defendant. The friend denied any wrongdoing, claiming he never expected his friend to go through with the plan.

South Korea mandates that all able-bodied men serve in the military for at least 18 months.

The court explained its relatively lenient sentence by noting that both the defendant and his friend had no prior criminal records, and the defendant had admitted to his wrongdoing, expressing a sincere commitment to fulfil his military duty.