VOA新闻杂志2024--South Korean Man Guilty of Gaining Weight to Avoid Military Service

 

South Korean Man Guilty of Gaining Weight to Avoid Military Service

A South Korean court has found a man guilty of purposefully gaining weight to avoid completing required service in the country's military.

Seoul's Eastern District Court sentenced the 26-year-old man to one year in prison for violating¹ the country's military service act. The Associated Press reports that the court suspended³ the sentence for two years. The court said the man did not appeal the November 13 ruling against him.

The court said the man had gained more than 20 kilograms in an effort to get released⁴ from a government requirement to serve in the military.

South Korea requires all able-bodied men to serve in the military for 18-21 months. However, some individuals with health issues can instead perform service in non-military positions. Such service can be carried out at welfare centers or at other approved places within communities.

People with serious health problems are not required to serve in the military at all.

A health examination⁵ in 2017 found the man was physically⁶ able to become an active-duty soldier while weighing 83 kilograms. But the court said the man received advice that he could get permission to serve a non-military, social service position if he was overweight. This led him to start gaining weight.

The court said that in three physical exams carried out in 2022 and 2023, the man weighed 102-105 kilograms, a weight that made him fit for social service.

The AP reported it was not clear how the crime was discovered nor if the man began his military duty before he was tried. The court said only that he had promised to meet his military service requirement.

South Korea operates a compulsory⁷ military service system to deal with possible military threats from North Korea. But the policy is widely debated in the country. Some critics of the system point to the fact that requiring military service forces young men to suspend² their studies or professional careers.

South Korea's Military Manpower Administration⁸ is responsible for operating the country's compulsory military service system. It says that each year, about 50-60 cases of dodging⁹ military duties have been reported.

The organization notes the most common ways to avoid military duties are to gain or lose large amounts of weight or to not complete necessary medical treatments before physical exams.

Words in This Story

compulsory - adj. an official requirement to do something

dodge¹⁰ - v. to avoid something, often in a dishonest way

1 violating   

亵渎( violate的现在分词 )； 违反； 侵犯； 强奸

参考例句：

• Ignorance of a law does not excuse a man for violating it. 一个人不懂法律不构成犯法的理由。
• It was sued by the U.S. federal government for violating antitrust law. 它被美国联邦政府指控违反了反托拉斯法。

2 suspend   

vt. 推迟, 悬挂, 暂停, 取消; vi. 悬挂, 中止, 停止偿付债务

参考例句：

• Balloons suspend easily in the air. 气球容易浮在空中。
• I request them to suspend their decision until they have read my narrative. 我请求他们没看完我写的故事之前,别轻率地先下断语。

3 suspended   

a.被暂时搁置的

参考例句：

• A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. 一盏吊灯悬在天花板上。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area. 英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

5 examination   

n.考试，考查，试题；检查，调查

参考例句：

• Teachers always judge their students on the final examination.老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生。
• He put up a good show in the final examination.他在期末考试中表现得不错。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

8 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

9 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

10 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。