TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) emphasized on Wednesday (Feb. 19) that compulsory military service is a constitutional obligation, adding that avoiding doing so warrants legal consequences.
A day earlier, authorities arrested actor Darren Wang (王大陸) for the alleged evasion. Wang, 33, reportedly paid NT$1 million to a broker group to forge medical records, attempting to dodge his service responsibilities.
However, Taipei City Government's Department of Compulsory Military Service (北市兵役局) stated it has not received any application from Wang to alter his service status, nor has the local office received related requests.
After interrogation, Wang secured his release on bail by paying NT$150,000. He is scheduled to report at Taipei Main Station on March 13 for a year-long military service at Chenggongling (成功嶺).
The compulsory service includes eight weeks of basic training and 44 weeks of specialized courses.
Wang rose to fame in 2015 with the film "Our Times" (我的少女時代) and has recently focused his career on mainland China. Facing judicial scrutiny over his alleged evasion, Wang will need to complete his military duty.
