



By Jung Min-ho, Jung Da-min







A 21-year-old man was found guilty Sunday of trying to dodge his mandatory military service by putting on nearly 30 kilograms within six months.





The Cheongju District Court handed down a suspended prison term to the man, who gained 29 kilograms deliberately in 2016 to evade his military duty.





The 180-centimeter man, whose identity is being withheld, was only 87 kilograms when he graduated from high school in February but became 113.6 kilograms by the time he received a second physical examination in July.





His body mass index (BMI) was 36.1, which was below the requirement to serve the military. So he was assigned to a public service position, a less physically demanding alternative.





But police later found he gained weight on purpose to evade his military duty.





Under the law, a person who flees, causes self-injury or cheats to avoid military service could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

