A 20-Year-Old Who Lost Weight Down to 49.4kg to Avoid Military Service Got Caught in This Medical Examination

Extreme Fasting Leads to Weight Loss Down to 49.4kg
Court Sentences Suspended Prison Term "No Remorse for Crime"

A man in his 20s who drastically lost weight to avoid active military service was sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence.

A subject under examination is receiving a 'Active Duty Eligible' result at the Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 11th, the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 8 (Presiding Judge Kim Yong-shin) announced that it sentenced Mr. A (22), who was indicted for violating the Military Service Act, to six months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. Mr. A is accused of reducing his weight through extreme fasting during the military physical examination from November 2021 to February 2022 to receive a judgment for social service agent (supplementary service) duty.

Before the military physical examination, Mr. A severely restricted his food and water intake, reducing his weight to 49.4 kg, and maintained a dangerously low weight of 50.4 kg until the re-examination. Mr. A denied the charges, stating, "I was expelled from university and failed my third attempt at the college entrance exam," and "Due to stress, I lived irregularly and lost weight."

However, the court found Mr. A guilty based on evidence that he was aware of the physical grade criteria, citing his past statements about repeatedly losing weight to receive a supplementary service physical grade, and supported by urine test results indicating intentional fasting and dehydration to lose weight.

Nonetheless, the court stated, "The defendant does not show remorse and tried to avoid active military service, so the nature of the crime is not light," but also noted, "Considering some mitigating circumstances in the crime's background and the absence of prior criminal records, the sentence was determined."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense announced in December last year that it would relax the active duty criteria based on weight. Typically, BMI is classified as ▲Underweight (18.4 or below) ▲Normal (18.5?24.9) ▲Overweight (25?29.9) ▲Obese (30?34.9) ▲Severely Obese (35?39.9) ▲Morbidly Obese (40 or above). The proposed amendment to the 'Military Physical Examination Rules' announced by the Ministry lowers the lower limit for active duty judgment from the current 16 to 15 and raises the upper limit from 35 to 40. If the amendment passes the legislative notice period and the State Council, those previously judged as grade 4 social service agents with severe obesity (BMI 35?39.9) will all be judged as grade 3 active duty in the future.