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Korean actor, 41 others indicted for faking illness to evade military service
Korean actor, 41 others indicted for faking illness to evade military service
A Korean actor, professional athletes and a medical student were indicted in South Korea on Feb. 9 for faking illness to evade military service.
Military service is a mandatory duty for men in South Korea that ranges from 18 to 21 months.
On Feb. 9, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office indicted 42 people including Korean actor Song Duk-ho, who has appeared in dramas such as “Juvenile Justice,” “Taxi Driver,” "D.P," “Hospital Playlist” and “Hotel Del Luna,” and professional volleyball player Jo Jae-sung.
Other persons indicted were a professional soccer player, and athletes in the fields of golf, badminton, horseback riding, track and field, and rowing, and a medical student.
Five other people were also indicted. They were family members and acquaintances who helped them in the alleged medical fraud.
The 42 people are accused of pretending to be epilepsy patients in order to avoid military service or lower their medical grade so they would not be classified fit for active-duty service.
According to the prosecution, the 42 people received assistance from a broker, who facilitated for them to get fake medical reports, which were submitted to the Military Manpower Administration to receive lower grades.
Korean rapper Ravi, a member of K-pop boy band VIXX who is currently fulfilling his military service, was not included among those who were indicted. Last Jan. 12, he was booked for military service evasion and was linked to the same scandal.