Taiwanese actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been in the news lately after he was arrested for evading his mandatory military service. The star has since been released on bail, but news outlets are now reporting on what he did to evade his conscription.
The actor was taken into custody yesterday (18th February 2025, Tuesday) on suspicion of evading his compulsory military service. Darren was arrested, along with eight conscripts, for his connection to an illegal ring suspected of helping people evade military service in exchange for money between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million (approximately RM13,600 and RM136,000).
Darren allegedly paid around NT$1 million to help him avoid military service by claiming a heart condition. The actor reportedly tricked doctors into issuing a diagnosis certificate to further back his claims. Interestingly, cardiologists say the threshold for determining a heart disease is very high, adding that conscripts rarely choose this excuse to evade their service as it is difficult to prove. Some even quipped Darren had incredible acting skills to be able to trick doctors.
For those curious, Taiwanese law stipulates that eligible men aged between 18 and 36 are mandated to serve in the military for a year. Those with severe health problems can be exempted, and there is also the option to defer the draft. Darren had long sparked speculations of him evading his military service because he repeatedly deferred his conscription. There are also rumours that he purposely enrolled into university to avoid being drafted.
Darren has since been released on NT$150,000 (US$4,583) bail, but neither he nor his management has yet to address the matter. At 33 years old, the actor is at the maximum age for deferring the draft in Taiwan and has been scheduled to begin his military service on 13th March 2025 (Thursday). If the star fails to present himself without reason, he faces further legal consequences.
It would be a shame if Darren’s career and image were affected by this scandal, so we hope he’ll report for his military service. What are your thoughts on this?
Sources: China Press, Dim Sum Daily, Focus Taiwan
