"Just 1kg More to Lose..." 20s Who Lost Weight to Avoid Active Military Service, Sentenced to 2 Years Probation

Caught After Posting Related Article on the Internet

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A man in his 20s who deliberately lost weight to receive a public service exemption was found guilty in the first trial.

On the 31st, Judge Park Mi-seon of the Criminal Division 9 at the Seoul Western District Court announced that A (21), who was tried for violating the Military Service Act, was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation.

A is accused of intentionally losing excessive weight after realizing in August 2019 that having a low Body Mass Index (BMI) score would result in a grade 4 supplementary service classification during the military service examination, allowing him to avoid active duty enlistment.

Starting in 2020, A reduced his meal intake to one meal a day and avoided exercise, losing weight down to 54.3 kg. As a result, he received a grade 4 physical classification in two military service examinations.

Later, A’s crime was uncovered through posts he made online about his process of receiving the grade 4 supplementary service classification. In 2019, he posted online, "Need tips on losing weight, if I lose just 5 more kilos, I can become a 'Kingik' (slang for public service worker)," and "If I lose just 1 kg more, I won’t even be subject to BMI re-examination." After receiving the grade 4 supplementary service classification, he posted, "How many personal training (PT) sessions should I get? Not trying to build muscle, just want to improve basic fitness and gain some weight," and "Feeling good. Grade 4 confirmed. Now I’ll start exercising. Hungry. I starved myself for almost 12 hours to get grade 4."

During the trial, A claimed, "My weight loss was natural due to irregular eating and sleeping habits, and I did not intentionally lose weight to evade or reduce military service obligations."

However, the court stated, "The defendant deliberately lost weight to avoid active duty service, which is a serious offense. However, considering that he was originally underweight and was tempted to receive a grade 4 classification through additional weight loss, and that the amount of weight lost was not significant," explaining the reasons for sentencing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.