Supreme Court of Korea/ Korea Times file

The highest court in Korea upheld an 18-month imprisonment sentence, Sunday, for a man who refused to undertake his mandatory military service citing his conscientious objection to violence and war. And the court did so by pointing to the defendant's fondness of playing a popular battle royale video game.

In Korea, men aged between 18 and 35 must serve in the military for 18 months. Those who do not comply can be sentenced with up to three years in prison.

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the appeals court's verdict concluded a legal battle which began after the man refused to comply with the conscription order in October 2018.

The lower court denied the defendant's claim of anti-violence and anti-war beliefs, arguing that he had never disclosed his beliefs publicly and that he plays PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, a video game featuring violent imagery.

Handing down the 18-month prison sentence, the lower court stated: "Although the virtual world of the game is different from real-world situations, his hobby can make one question the sincerity of his beliefs."

The defendant took the case to an appeals court which affirmed the lower court's judgment before appealling to the highest court.