Dancer Young Jay, leader of the dance crew Just Jerk and winner of Mnet’s 2022 survival show Street Man Fighter, was sentenced to one year in prison on December 20 by the Seoul Southern District Court for violating the Military Service Act, according to reports from outlets including Sports Khan and MK. Presiding Judge Kim Sun-yeol of the Criminal Appeals Division 1 overturned a lower court’s first-instance acquittal, though the court did not take Young Jay into custody immediately, citing no active risk of flight.
Appellate Court Reverses Acquittal on Draft-Evasion Charges
According to the prosecution’s case detailed by Sports Khan, Young Jay—legally named Sung Youngjae—obtained medical certificates for military service purposes on four separate occasions between July 2020 and February 2021. Prosecutors stated that the 34-year-old dancer visited a university hospital’s Department of Psychiatry to secure diagnoses for panic disorder and conversion disorder while continuing normal social activities and earning a steady income.
The first-instance court initially acquitted the dancer, finding insufficient proof that he used deception specifically to evade military service. However, the Seoul Southern District Court accepted the prosecution’s appeal, which cited factual misapprehension and misapplication of the law. In delivering the ruling, the appellate bench stated, according to MK, that Young Jay “abused psychiatric treatment, which required medical judgment, and went on to evade military service,” adding that the nature and method of the offense were highly improper.
Constitutional Duty and Public Trust Cited in Sentencing
The court emphasized the broader societal impact of the offense during the proceedings. According to MK, the bench declared that defending the nation is a fundamental constitutional obligation that must be fulfilled faithfully. The court noted that evading military service undermines the foundation and trust of the military service system and creates a sense of loss among citizens who fulfill their duties.
Following his psychiatric diagnoses, Young Jay received a Grade 4 supplementary service classification in March 2021 for neurotic disorders and related reasons. According to Sports Khan, investigators found that he did not return to the hospital for treatment after receiving his alternative service assignment, instead proceeding with television appearances and commercial dance activities.
Background and Rise to Fame on Street Man Fighter
Born in 1992, Young Jay initially received a Grade 3 classification during a 2011 physical examination due to an ankle joint abnormality and psychiatric-related notes, as reported by MK. He later achieved mainstream prominence in South Korea’s entertainment industry by leading the dance crew Just Jerk to victory on Mnet’s competitive television series Street Man Fighter in 2022.
The legal judgment concludes an appellate review that saw prosecutors successfully argue for a prison sentence, overriding the earlier acquittal and rejecting the defense’s position on the legitimacy of the psychiatric medical records submitted for military deferment and alternative service classification.
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