"Let's Split Soldiers' Salaries in Half"... 20s Substitute Enlistee Receives Suspended Sentence

Court Considers "Financial Hardship and Mental Illness" as Mitigating Factors

A man in his 20s who was caught after serving three months of military service as a substitute draftee, sharing the soldier's salary, was sentenced to a suspended prison term and released. This is the first time a case of substitute enlistment has been detected since the Military Manpower Administration was established in 1970.

According to Yonhap News on the 13th, Judge Park Seong-min of the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 sentenced Jo Mo (28), who was indicted on charges of fraud, violation of the Military Service Act, obstruction of official duties by deception, and violation of the Resident Registration Act, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension.

The court pointed out, "This crime of enlisting under another person's identity seriously undermines trust in national administrative procedures and requires strict punishment." However, the court also judged, "The defendant is already discharged and does not appear to have committed the crime for the purpose of helping the substitute avoid military service. It seems the crime was committed due to financial hardship, and no purpose other than receiving the salary is evident."

Additionally, the court explained the sentencing reasons, saying, "Considering that the defendant’s mental illness appears to have influenced the crime, and that he has reflected and pledged to undergo treatment during detention, the sentence was determined comprehensively." The court rejected Jo’s claim of 'legal innocence' regarding the fraud charge, finding that there was intent to deceive.

Jo was indicted for enlisting in a recruit training center in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province, on behalf of Choi Mo, a man in his late 20s whom he met on an internet community last July. Jo proposed, "If you give me half of the soldier’s salary, I will enlist on your behalf," and Choi accepted, leading to their crime. It was investigated that Jo decided to commit the crime because soldier salaries are no longer low as before and basic needs such as food and shelter are covered. It is also known that Jo had previously enlisted to fulfill his own military duty but was discharged due to mental health issues.

During the substitute enlistment process, Jo impersonated Choi by submitting Choi’s resident registration card and the soldier’s check card (Nara Sarang Card) to Military Manpower Administration staff and underwent the enlistment examination. He then enlisted under Choi’s identity and served in the military for three months, receiving a soldier’s salary of 1.64 million won for August and September as compensation.

The crime was revealed when Choi, fearing the substitute enlistment would be detected, voluntarily reported to the Military Manpower Administration in September last year. Until then, the military authorities had no idea about the substitute enlistment.

Choi, who conspired with Jo in the crime, is reported to have been indicted without detention at the court with jurisdiction over his residence.

This detection of substitute enlistment is the first since the Military Manpower Administration was established in 1970.