Nine More Arrested the Previous Day, According to Taiwanese Media Reports
Released on Bail After Paying 6.94 to 13.89 Million Won
Nine Taiwanese celebrities have been arrested by prosecutors on charges of evading military service using false medical certificates.
According to reports by Taiwanese media outlets Liberty Times and China Times on May 15, the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office and police made additional arrests the previous day as part of an expanded investigation into the case involving well-known actor Wang Dalu, who was arrested in February on suspicion of evading military service.
Prosecutors and police explained that they confirmed nine Taiwanese celebrities in their 20s and 30s?including Chen Lingzhu, William, Chen Datian, Dagen, Li Quan, Ahu, Huang Bos, Chen Xinwei, and Chen Xiangxi?had obtained forged medical certificates in order to apply for military service exemptions.
The authorities referred them to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office on charges including obstruction of military service and document forgery. Each was released on bail, paying between 150,000 and 300,000 New Taiwan dollars (approximately 6.94 million to 13.89 million Korean won).
An investigative official stated that some celebrities turned off their mobile phones and went into hiding after being summoned by police, but authorities tracked them down and arrested them. An official from the Ministry of the Interior's National Conscription Agency said that since the end of last year, investigations have been underway into a total of about 120 people, including 11 celebrities suspected of evading military service.
The official emphasized that they plan to conduct a follow-up investigation into individual cases, including those who received exemptions for hypertension over the past five years. Lieutenant General Cai Jiansong, Director of the Military Medical Bureau at the Ministry of National Defense, said that together with the National Conscription Agency, they will comprehensively review the criteria for military service exemptions, stating, "Many aspects will be revised."
Taiwan has enforced a conscription system since 1951, after the Kuomintang government retreated from mainland China following defeat by the Communist Party in 1949. The mandatory service period, originally two to three years, was reduced to four months in April 2014 during former President Ma Ying-jeou's administration, but was extended to one year last year due to increased military threats from China. According to Taiwan's Military Service Act, anyone who fabricates reasons for exemption or deferral, or alters their physical status through self-inflicted harm or other means, may be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
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