Controversy over remarks regarding military service exemption for the Asian Games national soccer team

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Jang Hyeon-gu = The men's national soccer team players under the age of 23, who won four consecutive championships at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and decorated the last gold medal for the Korean team, literally stung a bee hive with their unconventional remarks regarding the military service special treatment they will enjoy.

The player's careless statement to the media, "I didn't think about medals or trophies. I only played because there was a reward of exemption from military service," and the act of a player who had not even been to the training camp brazenly posting his discharged cap on his social networking service (SNS) immediately after winning, added fuel to the criticism of special military service for professional players, which had already reached a critical point.

Korea operates a special military service system for arts and sports personnel, a supplementary service system that allows special talents who have contributed to the promotion of national prestige and the development of culture to serve in the arts and sports fields instead of active duty.

Among athletes in the field of physical education, if they win a bronze medal or more at the Olympics or a gold medal at the Asian Games, they must undergo three weeks of basic military training under this system and complete a total of 544 hours of volunteer work utilizing their special skills during their 34-month service period.

In fact, it is almost like an exemption because you can fill your volunteer hours by using your athletic skills without going to the military.

The problem is that among the countries around the world that implement conscription, there are only a handful of countries that provide such unprecedented benefits for Asian Games and Olympic medals.

Due to the nature of a divided country, Korean citizens are sensitive to the fairness of military service, which is one of the four major obligations.

In addition, as the value and popularity of the Asian Games continues to decline, even the existence of special provisions for military service for sports personnel is boiling over, and criticism is pouring in on the behavior of soccer players who do not pay attention to public opinion.

Taiwan and Iran are the only countries like us that greatly reduce the burden of military service when athletes win medals in international competitions, including the Asian Games and the Olympics.

Israel, Turkmenistan, Austria, Finland, Switzerland, and Denmark do not automatically exempt athletes from military service even if they win a medal.

Singapore delays enlistment as much as possible.

Joseph Schooling, who won Singapore's first Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m butterfly swimming event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, enlisted in the military in 2021 and served for two years in accordance with the country's policy of not providing exemption from military service.

Singapore only delays the enlistment period for world-class athletes so that they can compete in the Olympics, but still imposes military service obligations.

Turkye also only allows players who meet certain conditions to extend their enlistment until the age of 35.

Israel, Finland, Switzerland and Austria allow military personnel to continue playing. This means that they are given consideration to prepare for international competitions while performing military service.