NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — New Taipei police launched an operation early Wednesday (May 14), detaining 11 men suspected of violating the "Punishment Act for Violation of the Military Service System" (妨害兵役治罪條例) and "Offenses of Forgery" (偽造文書罪). New Taipei authorities have identified several local entertainers among the detainees, including Nine Chen (陳零九), Daniel Chen (陳大天), Daikon (大根), William Liao (威廉), Jushe Lee (李銓), and Huang Po-shih (黃博石).
Police discovered the entertainers' involvement while investigating actor Darren Wang (王大陸), who allegedly paid NT$3.6 million to a group that fabricated medical exemptions from mandatory military service. Wang enlisted in March, but the case prompted authorities to launch broader inquiries into potential systemic abuse.
The scandal has ignited public concern over loopholes in Taiwan's mandatory military service system. According to the "Act of Military Service System" (兵役法), all Taiwanese men aged 19 to 36 must fulfill their service obligation. Notable celebrities like Jay Chou (周杰倫) and Vic Chou (周渝民) have previously received legitimate exemptions due to documented medical conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis and depression, respectively.
Due to demographic challenges, including the declining birth rate, the number of conscriptions in Taiwan has fallen significantly from 101,000 in 2010 to just 76,000 in 2024, according to research from the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation (台北政經學院基金會). In response to heightened cross-strait tensions, former President Tsai Ing-wen announced in 2022 that the standard four-month military service period would be extended to one full year, a policy for males born in 2005 and after.