The court ruled that he had continuously faked his illness over a long period of time with the intention of getting out of military service. As they ruled that it was something he had planned and executed over a long period of time, the court pushed for a more severe punishment of imprisonment.

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As mentioned previously, Kim Woo Joo is said to have visited the psychiatric clinic at Seoul National Hospital from March 2012 to May 2014 for a total of 42 times. He told his doctors, "I started seeing ghosts 8 years ago," "I fainted from the shock of [seeing] ghosts, and had to be taken to the emergency room two times as a result." After frequent visits complaining of such matters, the hospital eventually issued a medical certificate, giving the diagnosis that he suffers from a 'mental illness due to unknown causes'. 

He submitted this diagnosis to the Military Manpower Administration, and received a notice exempting him from active duty in October. But the court has now ruled that this had been an elaborate scheme to get out of service, sentencing him to a year in jail.