A dozen South Korean college graduates packed on the pounds — binging on pizza, hamburgers and more — so they could avoid the country’s mandatory military draft, according to a new report.
The dumpy dozen filled up on the high-calorie foods five times a day in an effort to become overweight and fail the required physical exam, the Military Manpower Administration said, according to the Korea Herald.
One man gained a whopping 66 pounds in just six months, according to the report.
All able-bodied men are required to serve two years in the military before they turn 28 — and they must undergo a physical exam to determine whether they are fit for active duty, the outlet reported.
Men who score lower than four out of seven points are deemed unfit and may be exempted or assigned to work in alternative service programs within the community, according to the report.
Two of the 12 men have completed and alternative service program, and four are still working at a community center. The other six have not yet enlisted, authorities told the outlet.
Each of the candidates — all vocalists who were music majors in college — had hoped to be assigned to the alternative program because they wanted to have time to sing after work, authorities said.
Recently, lawmakers and fans of the K-pop group BTS asked for officials to recognize the members’ ranking at the top of the Billboard charts with a pass from the military, The Guardian reported.
Currently, only winners of classical music competitions or Olympic or Asian Games medalists can avoid conscription.
The men had shared weight-gain strategies in a chat room — and some of them suggested eating “high-calorie protein shakes, supplements and drinking a lot of aloe juice to retain water weight,” according to the Korea Herald.
Others talked about intentionally acting “crazy.”
The case will be referred to prosecution, the Ministry of National Defense said. All of the men will be forced to serve the mandatory two years of service if found guilty — including the pair who had already finished the alternative program, according to the report.