South Korean evader falls from building trying to escape investigators

SEOUL: A young man who was on the run for allegedly evading his mandatory military service survived a fall from a building while trying to evade prosecutors, South Korean officials said Thursday (Oct 24).

The suspect, in his mid-twenties and wanted for violating South Korea’s Military Service Law, was visited at his home in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, by officials from the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutor’s Office around 12.40 pm (11.40 am Singapore). time) on October 21.

One investigator knocked on the door while the other stood outside the commercial-residential building.

The suspect attempted to escape through the bathroom window of his fifth-floor unit and fell to the ground in the process. He injured his back in the fall and was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, but his injury was found to be non-critical.

The prosecution withheld the suspect’s personal information and details related to the charges. He said officials are considering an investigation without physical arrest, depending on the severity of his injury.

All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military for varying periods of time, the minimum of which is 18 months for the military. Article 86 of South Korea’s Military Service Law states that those who escape to evade military service will be sentenced to between one and five years in prison. – Korea Herald/ANN