Shocking Ways Young Men Try to Avoid Military Service Revealed – Part 1

“I gained weight and stooped during the physical examination to get assigned to public service. I reduced my height to 5 feet 10 inches and put on weight until I reached 264 pounds.”

“If you fall on your collarbone once, it easily breaks, and if it is cracked once, you’re exempt from military service.”

“Just extract five molars… Eat chicken and instant noodles every night for six months, and you’re exempt from military service.”

“If you stick a plastic bottle behind your knee and tie it with tight pressure, then jump down, you’re exempt from military service.”

“If you have six months or longer of psychiatric medical records, you’re automatically assigned to public service. Why do you serve in the military as an active duty even though you know this?”

These are typical examples of false and harmful information promoting draft evasion detected online by the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) last year. They are a prank posted online as “how not to go to the army.”

According to the MMA, 2,858 cases of online information promoting draft evasion were detected last year, an increase of 939 cases from the 1,919 cases detected the previous year. The increase rate surged by 48.9%. This indicates that information promoting online draft evasion is becoming more sophisticated and advanced.

Of the total number of detected cases, 276 were caught by the 1st Citizen Watchdogs, which was launched in 2023. This accounts for 9.7% of the total performance, a high achievement. Previously, information promoting draft evasion was detected only by dedicated cyber surveillance staff and external reports. Still, as the role of the newly selected citizen watchdogs was added, the number of detected cases has significantly increased.

Expanding Surveillance and Enforcement Measures

The government is expanding its surveillance of information on evading military service online to create a fair military service environment. Currently, information promoting draft evasion is detected through three methods: dedicated cyber surveillance staff, Citizen Watchdogs, and external reports.

Despite this, there are growing concerns about the posting and distributing of information promoting draft evasion through cyberspace. In particular, information promoting draft evasion is being spread secretly and continuously through the internet, as seen in the draft evasion case under the guise of epilepsy, which was detected on a large scale last year. To crack down more efficiently, the government has been operating the Citizen Watchdogs for Information Promoting Draft Evasion system, targeting citizens in various fields since 2023.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Citizen Watchdogs, the main culprit of the fake epilepsy draft evasion case, the broker, and a total of 128 people, including accomplices Mr. Goo and Mr. Kim, and those who requested draft evasion crimes from them or helped their crimes, were sentenced to one year in prison and two years of probation in the first trial. All 130 people, including the draft broker and evaders, were convicted.

Powered by this, the MMA held a launch ceremony of the 2nd Citizen Watchdogs for Information Promoting Draft Evasion at the Government Complex Daejeon on March 29. The Citizen Watchdogs for Information Promoting Draft Evasion was selected from 30 citizens in various fields, including college students and office workers. In particular, 14 people (46.7%), including the excellent performers from the 1st Watchdogs in the previous year, are composed of those with experience in cyber surveillance activities. They will monitor illegal, harmful information, such as draft evasion promotion posts and online sites, until the end of this year.

To Read Part 2…
To Read Part 3…