11 Taiwanese Celebs Arrested For Evading Military Service

The military service evasion scandal in Taiwan, sparked by an investigation into actor Wang Ta Lu, who was suspected of falsifying medical documents to get exemption, continues to escalate.

Since February, authorities have been investigating a "military evasion ring” that allegedly helped celebrities dodge mandatory military service.

On the morning of May 14, authorities raided multiple locations and reportedly detained at least 11 celebrities.

Among them were actor Daniel Chen, Jushe Lee of boyband Choc7, stage actor Huang Po Shih, and singer Nine Chen (left in pic).

According to reports, Nine, now 38, admitted to spending more than NT$300,000 (S$12.9K) to fake hypertension in order to be exempted from service.

As he is now beyond the age for mandatory military service, he will not be required to serve. However, he may still face legal consequences for his involvement in the illegal scheme.

If found guilty, he could face between six months and five years in prison.

Former member of noughties boyband Lollipop, William Liao, who was filming travel show Super Taste on Green Island on May 14 morning, reported to a local police station to clarify the situation.

He also posted a photo on Facebook of himself entering the station and said he was “voluntarily cooperating".

After returning to Taiwan, he was taken directly into custody for questioning. He was later released on bail set at NT$500K (S$21.5K).

Comedian Daikon, who was overseas, had initially denied involvement, saying: “This isn’t true.”

However, his agency later issued a clarification explaining that the denial was in response to whether he had been to the police station yet, not about the exemption case itself.

They admitted that he did dodge military service.

In 2023, due to work considerations, Daikon sought medical exemption after receiving a diagnosis at a medical institution.

The company acknowledged the poor example this set and that Daikon had expressed deep regret for this behaviour.

It added that he will take responsibility and comply with future military service orders.

Authorities revealed that the evasion ring instructed conscripts to fake hypertension history or manipulate test results — such as holding their breath or tensing muscles to raise blood pressure during medical exams.

After being allowed to take home a blood pressure monitor, the conscripts would have someone with real cardiovascular conditions wear the device instead.

The manipulated readings would then help them falsely obtain severe hypertension diagnoses, changing their military classification from "active service" to "exempt."

Previously, conscripts seeking exemption due to illness had to undergo a physical examination at a designated hospital.

In cardiovascular cases, doctors would repeatedly measure blood pressure until they are verified to have severe hypertension.

Later, procedures were changed to allow 24-hour home monitoring, and the evasion group exploited this loophole for profit.