A South Korean man has been convicted of evading compulsory military service by eating so much he became too obese to fight.

A court in Seoul sentenced the 26-year old, who has not been named, to a year in prison, suspended for two years.

A friend was convicted of abetting the man, after providing a high-calory meal plan. The friend, also 26, received a six-month suspended sentence, according to the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo.

The binge-eating man dramatically increased his food intake over a period of three months in hopes of hitting a body mass index (BMI) high enough to be categorised as fit only for non-combat roles.