On February 18, China Times reported that the Taiwanese police arrested actor Darren Wang, along with 10 other individuals, on suspicion of evading military service. During his arrest, it was revealed that the actor remained calm and cooperated with the police. Authorities stated that the case is still under investigation, and Darren Wang will be taken to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for questioning later this afternoon.
According to regulations, Taiwanese men aged 18 to 40 are required to perform mandatory military service. Media reports state that Taiwan handles cases of military evasion very strictly. Under the law, individuals who engage in fraudulent behavior or fail to fulfill their military service obligations as required are subject to fines, imprisonment for up to five years and restrictions on their social rights, including work and education.
Chinese media reached out to Darren Wang’s side, but his manager did not answer the phone. Currently, the news of the actor’s arrest has caused a stir in public opinion in China, ranking second on the trending list of the social media platform Weibo.
Darren Wang was previously involved in a scandal over his abuse of celebrity privileges while studying at the Daou Jiang Institute of Technology and Management. At the age of 22, Darren Wang enrolled in the university but rarely attended classes. Despite repeatedly skipping classes, the actor was not expelled. At the time, when the media uncovered the incident, the school refused to provide an explanation, citing concerns about affecting other students.
Darren Wang’s representative had previously stated that the actor was very busy with work but was still trying to balance his studies and fulfill his military service obligations. The actor’s manager said, “Studying and fulfilling military service are necessary processes for the development of every young man. The company has supported him in planning to complete everything.” Contrary to this firm statement in the past, at the age of 34, Darren Wang has now been arrested on charges of evading military service.