SEOUL, South Korea — Twelve inventive South Korean college students deliberately made themselves overweight to dodge mandatory military service, a branch of the armed forces in Seoul said Tuesday. Nearly every able-bodied South Korean man is required to enrol by age 28 in the military, for a minimum of 21 months. Two have already finished their public service, while four are currently doing it and six are waiting to be assigned to positions at state offices. The military said it had used “digital forensic technology” to uncover the ruse, suggesting it may have seen messages from the chatroom used by the students. Tottenham Hotspur star footballer Son Heung-min recently avoided being called for military service by leading South Korea to a gold medal in the recent Asian Games in Jakarta.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 11, 2018 10:07 UTC