Court confirms sentence for rapper who attempted to evade national service

A South Korean rapper who pretended that his mental illness had worsened in order to shorten his mandatory national service will be subject to a suspended prison term, the country's top court confirmed Wednesday.

Announcing the ruling, which it said was made last month, the Supreme Court upheld a 14-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the rapper Nafla, who was convicted last year of violating the Military Service Act and the Criminal Act, specifically for obstructing the performance of official duties by fraudulent means.

Nafla was assigned to serve as a member of the social service personnel, who perform noncombat roles assisting with the duties of government officials. But he was indicted last March on suspicion of faking a deteriorating state of depression and panic disorder in order to be discharged early.

He was also found to have fabricated documents during his 19-month period of service to show that he was carrying out his assigned duties.

The 32-year-old was initially sentenced to one year in prison, but an appellate court reduced the punishment to a suspended term.

The Supreme Court also upheld a five-year prison term for a man surnamed Gu, who aided the rapper in evading his military duties. Gu had also helped other celebrities and athletes dodge their duties, including another rapper named Ravi.

South Korean law requires all able-bodied men to serve in the military for at least 18 months, with the the shortest period of service assigned to active servicemen in the Army.

Some with exceptional accomplishments in fields such as sports and culture are excused from service, but there are no such exemptions for achievements in popular music or acting. As such, even the biggest names in local music scene -- including the globally popular BTS -- have served or are currently serving in the military.