More than 900 Korean men evaded mandatory military service over the past five years by failing to return home after overseas travel, a ruling party lawmaker said Sunday. Of the 3,127 draft dodgers identified between January 2021 and October 2025, 912 violated overseas travel rules, according to Hwang Hee, a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party, citing data from the Military Manpower Administration. In Korea, all able-bodied men must serve mandatory military service for at least 18 months. Under the Military Service Act, men aged 25 and older who have not completed their military service must obtain approval from the Military Manpower Administration before traveling overseas or remaining abroad. Violators face criminal complaints and restrictions on passport issuance until age 37. Despite authorities’ efforts to crack down on draft evasion, violations tied to overseas travel have continued to rise. In 2021, the number of such draft dodgers came to 158, followed by 185 in 2022, 196 in 2023 and 197 in 2024, the data showed. In the first 10 months of this year, the number of such violators
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