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| Darren Wang Pleads Guilty in High-Profile Military Service Avoidance Scandal |
Taiwanese actor Darren Wang (Wang Talu) finally faced court on 18 November, marking his first formal appearance since the military service scandal erupted earlier this year. Arriving quietly with his lawyer, he kept his head down, held an umbrella to block cameras, and refused to respond to waiting reporters. The atmosphere was tense, with considerable media attention surrounding one of Taiwan’s most talked-about celebrity cases of 2025.
Inside the courtroom, Darren Wang openly admitted to all three charges: instructing a government employee to enter false information, forging official documents, and attempting to avoid mandatory military service.
His confession was direct, and he even stood to give a small bow, calling it a mistake made out of ignorance.
The hearing also shed more light on the 3.6 million Taiwan dollars he allegedly paid to Chen Zhiming, the man identified as the head of the document-forgery group.
Prosecutors pressed Darren for a clear breakdown, especially since Chen previously claimed he only received 2.6 million.
Darren provided a meticulous explanation. According to him, the payments were made in five rounds.
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The first 300,000 dollars was handed over in cash near the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.
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Chen then demanded an additional 700,000, which Darren delivered at Chen’s Ren’ai Road residence.
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Two more payments followed: 1.5 million and 660,000 dollars. Darren said he negotiated that total down to an even 2 million, again paid in cash at the same residence.
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The final 600,000 dollars was transferred via bank in December last year.
Altogether, Darren insisted the real total was indeed 3.6 million dollars, contradicting Chen’s claim of a smaller amount.
His legal team argued that although Darren Wang’s actions were improper, he had been cooperative, admitted wrongdoing early, and was currently performing well in his substitute service at Taipei’s Department of Social Welfare.
They requested leniency, hoping the sentence could be reduced to a fine or suspended altogether.
A Case That Dominated Headlines All Year
The controversy first broke in February 2025, when Darren was accused of paying a so-called “draft avoidance group” to fabricate a hypertension diagnosis.
The allegations immediately caught public attention, becoming one of the biggest celebrity-related military service cases in recent years.
Following several rounds of investigation and questioning, prosecutors charged Darren under Taiwan’s Criminal Code for document forgery and recommended a one-year prison sentence.
The scandal didn’t stop with him, either.
As authorities dug deeper, more than ten other entertainers allegedly connected to similar schemes were brought in for questioning, turning the situation into an industry-wide scrutiny of military-service conduct.
Court Orders Darren to Testify Further
In the latest hearing, the judge asked whether Chen wished to confront Darren in court.
Chen declined.
However, prosecutors pushed for Darren to provide a full testimony so the court could establish a more accurate timeline and money trail.
The judge accepted the request, meaning Darren will return for further questioning as the case continues.
For now, Darren’s public confession marks a significant shift in a story that has kept Taiwan’s entertainment sector under the spotlight all year. With sentencing still pending, all eyes remain on how the court will weigh his cooperation against the seriousness of the charges.
Source: VCT