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Man receives suspended sentence for losing weight to dodge military service

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 16:51

An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A 21-year-old man received a six-month suspended sentence for deliberately losing weight to avoid mandatory military service.

The man was sentenced to six months in jail, to be suspended for one year, after being convicted of intentionally lowering his body mass index (BMI) to below 16 — the threshold for receiving a Grade 4 classification — in an attempt to avoid active-duty enlistment, legal sources said Thursday.

The man had drastically reduced his food intake — consuming almost no food and at most one glass of water per day — ahead of his conscription physical exam on July 3, 2023. His body mass index (BMI) was calculated to be 15.7 at the time of examination, which led to a temporary deferral of his military classification.

When he was notified on Sept. 6 that he had been randomly selected for a surprise re-evaluation, he repeated the same extreme measures, bringing his weight down to 47.7 kilograms (105 pounds) at a height of 177.2 centimeters (5 feet, 10 inches), resulting in a BMI of 15.1.

“The defendant attempted to evade military duty by intentionally losing weight, and, considering his motives, means and methods, the nature of the crime is not light,” the Suwon District Court said in its ruling, adding that he had violated the country's Military Service Act. “However, the court considered that he acknowledged his wrongdoing and pledged to fulfill his duty by enlisting as an active-duty soldier.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]