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| Conscripted soldiers at Nonsan military training camp / Korea Times file |
By Lee Suh-yoon
Forty-eight people have attempted to dodge their compulsory military service this year, government data showed, Monday. According to recently disclosed information from the Military Manpower Administration through Rep. Kim Su-min of the minor Bareunmirae Party, they all tried to get exemptions from the mandatory service as of Aug. 22.
The number of draft dodgers grew from 47 in 2015 to 54 in 2016, 59 in 2017 and 69 last year.
The methods usually involved some degree of self-harm. Of the 48 caught this year, 10 exposed themselves to loud continuous sounds from bike horns or sports events air horns to temporarily damage their hearing and get a medical diagnosis for such a disability. Fifteen others were caught employing a more common method of controlling their diet to make themselves extremely underweight or vice versa to qualify them for alternative civil service. Seven opted for full-body tattoos ― which also disqualifies potential conscripts and lets them do civil work instead.
Other cases involved more underhand dealings. Seven were caught faking mental illnesses such as depression or sociophobia, also to get medical statements that would give them an exemption. One is being investigated by the prosecution for falsely reporting his academic records to register himself as a middle school dropout ― another cause for exemption ― while he was attending a foreign university abroad.
All able-bodied Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35 must serve 18 to 22 months in the military.
