Pizza And Patriotism Oh My

Military service in South Korea is mandatory for all males before they turn 28.  Some of them are pigging out on pizza to avoid the inevitable:

"But 12 vocal students have found a new way to avoid service: expanding their waistlines.

The aspiring singers, who were not named, binged on pizza and hamburgers five times a day in an effort to gain weight and ultimately fail the military physical. They swapped tips over chat apps and determined 'high-calorie protein shakes, supplements and drinking a lot of aloe juice to retain water weight' were the best options, according to a military investigation.

All South Korean men must serve about 22 months before the age of 28 and are subject to a physical to determine whether they are fit for duty. Those who fail the physical requirements are either exempt from service altogether or must complete alternative civilian work, generally seen as preferable to the privations of military life."

Kidding aside, military service here is, in scientific parlance, quite some bullshit.  Unlike service in the U.S., recruits here get paid less than 300 dollars a month.

That said my understanding, based on Kim Young-ha's novel I Hear Your Voice, is that the tried and true method of avoiding military service is to cut off the trigger finger of your right hand.  (The South Korean military does not accommodate lefties, so don't embarrass yourself and your ancestors by cutting off a left-handed finger.)

Here's a recent post about South Korea's current soccer star, Son Heung-min, and how he narrowly avoided military service with a win in the 2018 Asian Games.