Idol group member Mr. Ahn has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for evading military service.
Seoul Northern District Court Judge In Hyeong-jun sentenced Mr. Ahn, who was indicted for violating the Military Service Act, to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence and 80 hours of community service.
Mr. Ahn received a physical examination rating of Grade 1 in July 2011 and Grade 2 in November 2017, making him eligible for active duty enlistment. However, he falsely claimed to have psychological issues and cognitive impairments. Despite having no significant psychological problems for seven months since October 2019, he sought medical treatment, claiming to have thoughts of wanting to die and experiencing heart palpitations and difficulty breathing for no reason. In May 2020, he received a diagnosis stating that he had exaggerated or distorted answers during a comprehensive psychological evaluation and that he fell into the category of mild mental retardation, requiring at least one year of psychiatric observation and medication. Mr. Ahn submitted this diagnosis to the Military Manpower Administration, resulting in his classification as a level 4 social service worker for conscription.
Despite this, Mr. Ahn engaged in active activities such as being a trainee from 2012 to 2022 and debuting as a singer, planning choreography, costumes, performances, and fan meetings. The judge viewed Mr. Ahn as deceiving and evading his military duty by pretending to have intellectual problems despite having no significant psychological issues. However, the judge took into account the fact that Mr. Ahn admitted his wrongdoing, is a first-time offender, and pledged to fulfill his military duty.
Mr. Ahn is the leader of a boy group that debuted in 2018 and is currently 32 years old.
Source: (A)
