4 entertainers questioned over military service evasion

New Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) Four entertainers were questioned Tuesday on suspicion of manipulating their medical records to avoid serving compulsory military service, according to authorities in New Taipei.

The entertainers were among 10 suspects and included actor Hsiu Chieh-kai (修杰楷), Chen Bo-lin (陳柏霖), former Lollipop@F member LilJay (廖允杰), and Energy member Chang Shu-wei (張書偉), the Yonghe Precinct of the New Taipei Police Department said in a statement.

Police said another Energy member, Kunda Hsieh (謝坤達), is currently in Canada for work and will be brought in after his scheduled return to Taiwan on Oct. 31.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Hsiu has admitted to evading service, and the Ministry of Interior said Tuesday that 92 others were listed as suspects and are currently under investigation.

The investigation followed probes launched in February and May into a military service evasion scheme.

Prosecutors alleged that the suspects paid a man named Chen Chih-ming (陳志明) to learn how to manipulate blood pressure tests to appear as if they had severe hypertension, allowing them to avoid conscription.

Police said the 10 questioned Tuesday were linked to Chen and are suspected of using similar methods to evade military service.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Tuesday that the Ministry of National Defense has reviewed its medical examination standards with the Tri-Service General Hospital.

However, Koo only said the ministry would "push forward relevant discussions" when asked if the standards would be tightened by the end of 2025.

Under the Act of Military Service System, all Taiwanese men aged 19 to 36 are required to complete compulsory military service.