[Reexamination of military service special provisions] ① A system created when there was a surplus of troops… “I’m not going to the military” and I’m on the brink of survival.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = The words and actions of some national soccer and baseball team players who won gold medals at the 2026 Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games regarding 'military service benefits' have caused strong repercussions.

As the political circles of the ruling and opposition parties continued to call for abolition and reorganization, and the Ministry of National Defense announced plans to reduce and abolish supplementary service, including art and sports personnel, the special military service provision for athletes introduced in 1973 was at a crossroads for the first time in 53 years.

The special military service system was created in the 1970s when military service resources were in surplus under the pretext of ‘promoting national prestige.’

Unlike half a century ago, when a gold medal was the pride of a country, Korea's international status has increased significantly, and voices are growing that it is unreasonable to maintain this at a time when the number of young men of low birth and enlistment is rapidly decreasing.

◇ Special military service that was created in the 1970s when there was a surplus of military resources

The need for a special sports military service system began to be discussed in earnest at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

At that time, South Korea only won one silver medal, performing worse than North Korea, which won one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.

In order to show the superiority of the system by improving performance in international competitions, the military service exemption system was created based on the judgment that it was necessary to offer a 'carrot' to the players.

At that time, as the 'baby boom' generation born after the Korean War became young, the number of surplus resources subject to military service increased rapidly, which had as great an impact on the establishment of a special military service system as the main purpose of 'promoting national prestige through sports'.

In the 1970s, the number of active duty enlisted soldiers was around 170,000 to 180,000 per year, but the available resources for enlistment exceeded 300,000.

In 1973, the 'Act on the Special Regulation of Military Service Obligation' (Military Service Special Act) was enacted, and this law included the arts as well as sports. It was at this time that special systems in other fields, such as industrial technical personnel and professional research personnel, were introduced.

Yang Jeong-mo, who won the gold medal in wrestling at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, became the first athlete to receive special military service exemption.

However, specific standards, such as what qualifications are needed and how much benefits are provided, were not established until the Enforcement Decree of the Special Military Service Act was enacted in 1981.

The target was broadly set to those who placed 3rd or higher in the Olympics, World Championships, Universiade, Asian Games, and Asian Championships, and with the abolition of the Special Military Service Act in 1984, related contents were transferred to the Military Service Act.

The scope of military service benefits has changed in conjunction with the status of sports in Korean society.

After the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which were unprecedented mega sports events on the Korean Peninsula, the need to motivate athletes decreased.

Criticism arose that the essence of the military service system was blurred as too many athletes received benefits, and in 1990, the Roh Tae-woo administration narrowed the list of military service benefits to those who placed third or higher in the Olympics and first place in the Asian Games. This standard continues to this day.

Military service preferences were sometimes granted on a one-time basis. A new benefit was introduced for those who placed 4th or higher in the 2002 World Cup round of 16 and the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC), but this benefit was eliminated in 2008 amid criticism that it was impromptu.

◇ ‘Excessive preferential treatment despite not having military service resources’… Abolitionism is growing stronger

From 1973 to the 2000s, only the scope of benefits changed and there was not much controversy surrounding the system itself.

The atmosphere has changed a lot in the 2010s. Jang Hyun-soo, who received military service benefits for winning a soccer gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, incurred public outrage after it was revealed that he had submitted inflated volunteer work results during the 2018 government audit.

In the same year, at the Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, selection for the national baseball team was on the chopping block.

Controversy over fairness arose when Oh Ji-hwan and others, who were criticized for giving up their chance to join the Sangmu military service, were selected, and then-director Seon Dong-yeol had to stand as a witness for the government audit.

In December of that year, the government formed a task force (TF) of related ministries to consider abolition, but concluded to maintain the current status in November 2019.

In the meantime, the premise that gave birth to the military service special system was completely overturned. Based on the National Defense White Paper, the number of standing troops decreased from 639,000 in 2012 to 500,000 in 2022.

According to estimates by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyzes (KIDA), the male population aged 20 decreased from 372,000 in 2015 to 225,000 in 2025.

Of course, even if the special system for sports and arts personnel, which allows about 20 to 50 people to be transferred annually, is abolished, it will have no practical effect in solving the problem of insufficient military resources. This is why the government task force decided to maintain the current system in 2019.

But questions still remained. The question is, ‘The government says there are not enough young people to protect the country, so why does it give preferential treatment only to athletes?’

The idea that Korea, the 15th largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), should promote its national prestige through sports has long been unconvincing.

Most of the players who received military service benefits belong to professional or business teams with ample income, and in particular, overseas players can benefit up to billions of won if they receive special military service benefits.

This is a point that not only raises issues of equity but also brings about a sense of relative deprivation among young people.

The reason why the military service exemption for athletes was able to be maintained even as calls for its abolition grew louder was because the total amount of pleasure that winning a gold medal brought to the people covered up the contradictions in the system.

◇ National soccer and baseball teams who recklessly ignited abolitionism

It was none other than the players themselves who gave strength to the age-old abolitionist theory.

The baseball team defeated Japan in the finals of the Asian Games and achieved its fifth consecutive victory.

However, criticism arose as to whether it was right for professional athletes to win gold medals and receive military service benefits in a competition where Japan formed a team centered around athletes from society rather than professionals.

After the finals, the national team's Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) fanned the flames by saying, "Honestly, I don't care about (criticism) at all. I think the gold medal is important, and the process is not that important. I won the gold medal anyway."

The national soccer team added fuel to the fire here.

The players of the national soccer team, which won its fourth consecutive championship by defeating Japan in the final, openly expressed in front of the media the joy of not having to go to the military, rather than the victory itself.

Captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon) said, “I’m not going to the military,” and lifted the gold medal with a bright smile. He was 9 days away from enlisting.

Yang Min-hyuk (Westerlo) said, "I didn't think medals or trophies were important. There was a reward of exemption from military service, so I think I played with that in mind."

Park Seung-soo of Newcastle in the English Premier League (EPL) further aggravated the controversy by posting a photo of himself wearing a 'military cap' on social media after winning the gold medal.

Social anger grew greater than the joy of winning the Asian Games gold medal, and calls for system reform were raised in the political world regardless of the ruling and opposition parties.

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo emphasized the need for system reform and urged, "I hope that the military exemption, starting with the gold medals from this Asian Games, which has been controversial, will be abolished through revision of the enforcement ordinance."

A ‘petition regarding the abolition of the military service exemption system for artists and sportspersons’ was posted on the National Assembly’s National Consent Petition website.

The government also moved. In a recent regular briefing, the Ministry of National Defense said, “Ultimately, we plan to promote the reduction and abolition of supplementary positions, including arts and sports personnel, by reflecting it in the basic plan for defense reform.”

Adjustment of medal standards is possible through revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Military Service Act, and complete abolition of the system is possible through revision of the Military Service Act. The military service exemption for athletes, which has been around for over half a century, is at a crossroads.