Director Lee Min-sung said, "Asian Games, military writers will sing unconditionally.""

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Min-sung, coach of the U-23 national soccer team, who is trying to win the men's soccer gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya (Japan), announced a plan to convene a "best qualification" including players who have solved military service problems.

According to the Korea Football Association and News 1 on the 24th, head coach Lee Min-sung met with reporters ahead of morning training at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, and said, "We decided that military writers were needed while preparing for the Asian Games. Grades come first," he said.

Men's soccer at the Asian Games can receive a "special military exemption" if they win a gold medal. Most of the players in Europe, including Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), have solved the military service problem through gold medals at the Asian Games. In particular, since most Asian teams did not give much meaning to the Asian Games, it was easier to exempt them from military service through Asian Games gold medals than to win Olympic medals.

Naturally, the men's soccer team at the Asian Games has been formed around players who have not solved the military service problem. In some cases, athletes serving in the military participated in the competition, but participation in the Asian Games was extremely rare for athletes whose military service problems were resolved. In particular, the wild card over the age of 24, which can be used up to three, is focused on players who need to resolve military service.

Coach Lee Min-sung also said from the time he took office last year, "I really want to win the Asian Games. In a way, the Asian Games are an important crossroads for players, and even if my body is broken, I will do my best to allow players to receive military service benefits," he said, adding that he gave great meaning to the players' military service exceptions.

However, in order to achieve the goal of winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, coach Lee changed his plan to set up a national team regardless of whether or not to solve the military service problem. Director Lee Min-sung emphasized, "We also plan to call in military veterans unconditionally and prepare with the best power."

Regarding the fact that he was criticized for losing to Uzbekistan and Japan, who are two years younger, and staying in fourth place after a penalty shootout at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup, he said, "Fans' concerns and doubts are natural."

Coach Lee said, "I have focused on the Asian Games since I took over as the coach of the U-23 national team. The U-23 Asian Cup was a simulation for the Asian Games, he said. "The performance and performance did not meet expectations, but what the national team wanted was achieved. I'll show you the results. I will definitely win the gold medal (at the Asian Games)."

Meanwhile, the U-23 national team will hold a convocation training session at Korea Football Park until the end of this month. Originally, the training was scheduled to be held in Turkiye, but the plan was changed to a domestic training in consideration of the situation in the Middle East. During this period, Lee Min-sung will play behind closed doors practice matches against the U.S. U-22 national team and the Japanese U-21 national team. Coach Lee called up eight European players, including Yang Min-hyuk (Coventry City), Yoon Do-young (FC Dorecht), Park Seung-soo (Newcastle United), and Kim Min-soo (FC Andora), as well as players who are active in the K-League.

Coach Lee Min-sung was originally scheduled to lead the U-23 national team not only at the Asian Games but also until the Los Angeles (LA) Olympics two years later. However, after the last Asian Cup, after a meeting of the Korea Football Association's Power Enhancement Committee, the Korean national team decided to focus only on the Asian Games, and the U-21 team, the generation of the LA Olympics, decided to prepare by appointing a new head coach.

GK: Kim Joon-hong (Suwon Samsung), Lee Seung-hwan (Pohang Steelers), and Han Tae-hee (Daegu FC)

DF: Kim Ji-soo (Kaiserslautern, Germany), Kang Min-joon (Pohang Steelers), Park Kyung-seop (Incheon United), Park Sung-hoon (FC Seoul), Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam FC), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon FC), Lee Hyun-yong (Suwon FC), Choi Seok-hyun (Ulsan HD), Choi Woo-jin (Jeonbuk Hyundai)

MF: Kim Min-soo (FC Andorra).Spain), Park Seung-soo (Newcastle United, England), Lee Hyun-joo (FC Aroca, Portugal), Yang Min-hyuk (Coventry City, England), Yoon Do-young (FC Drecht, Netherlands), Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Park Seung-ho, Seo Jae-min (Incheon United), Son Jung-beom, Hwang Do-yoon (FC Seoul), Cho Joon-hyun (Seoul E-Land)

FW: Kim Myung-joon (KRC Genk, Belgium), Lee Young-joon (Grathhofer, Switzerland)

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*This content was translated by AI.