"Even if my body breaks, I will emphasize the military service benefits" — Lee Min-seong's final roster for the AG features an unusual selection of three 'veteran' players

*This content was translated by AI.

The final roster for Lee Min-seong's squad, aiming for a fourth consecutive men's football gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, has been announced. While securing the top spot at the tournament under the Taegeuk mark is of great interest, so too is the 'military service exemption' awaiting the players who win the gold medal. Son Heung-min (LAFC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) have all resolved their military obligations through this route, allowing them to play on overseas stages in Europe and beyond.

Lee Min-seong, head coach of the U23 national team, openly emphasized the military service benefits for players through an Asian Games gold medal from the very beginning of his tenure. At his press conference upon taking office last June, he stated, "I really want to win the Asian Games. In a way, this is a critical crossroads for the players," and pledged, "Even if my body breaks, I will do my utmost to ensure the players receive military service benefits."

However, the final men's football roster announced on the 9th surprisingly included no fewer than three 'veteran' players: Lee Seung-won (23, Gangwon FC), Kim Jun-hong (23, Suwon Samsung), and Lee Young-jun (23, Grasshopper). These are reserve forces who already fulfilled their military obligations at Kim Cheon (SVP) long ago. Despite this, they heeded the coach's call and secured spots in the final roster for the upcoming September Asian Games.

Of course, there have been precedents of players who had already resolved their military issues or were serving in the army participating in previous tournaments. At the 2022 Hangzhou Games, Kim Jeong-hoon (FC Anyang, then Jeonbuk Hyundai), who had completed his military duty in Gimcheon, participated. Jo Young-wook (FC Seoul, then Gimcheon) competed while assigned to the Army Sports Promotion Team, and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord, then Asan Mugunghwa) at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games served with the National Police Agency before receiving 'early discharge' in each case. However, having three 'veteran' players compete in a tournament like this is unprecedented.

This does not mean that there were no suitable candidates or that veteran players were selected for positions where their competitiveness was significantly lower. In the past, the rationale behind selecting players whose military obligations had been resolved or who were serving was simply that "there are no competitive players to choose from." The fact that most of the roster consisted of non-veterans was also intended to provide opportunities for resolving military duties unless there was a significant difference in skill. This served as an unparalleled motivation for the Na Seo-neun (CEO) team at the Asian Games.

However, this roster includes some 'veteran' selections that raise eyebrows. Lee Seung-won, a midfielder, is a prime example. Of course, there is no doubt about his talent and ability. However, if limited to this season alone, his standing has diminished to the point where he struggles even to get playing time on his own team. He appeared in only eight matches across 16 rounds of K League 1, starting just twice. Recently, he hasn't even been able to enter as a substitute for three consecutive games. Despite being outcompeted by numerous strong players within his team, he has still secured a spot at the Asian Games.

While specific roles may vary somewhat, Lee Seung-won's selection is considered even more surprising given that there are midfielders whose mere exclusion from the roster would be shocking. Seo Jae-min (23, Incheon United) and Son Jeong-beom (19, FC Seoul) are prime examples. These are midfielders who have stood out not only on their respective teams this season but across the entire K League 1. Their selection for the final Asian Games roster seemed like a foregone conclusion, yet they ended up tasting the bitterness of exclusion. Instead, 'veteran' Lee Seung-won wears the Taegeuk mark.

The decision to exclude goalkeeper Han Tae-hee (22, Daegu FC) is also regrettable. Of course, Kim Jun-hong has been performing at his best since returning to the K League with Suwon. However, Han Tae-hee has also been an unusually regular starter for Daegu since last season despite his young age. Unless there is a significant gap in ability, the weight should have tipped more toward a 'non-veteran.' Yet, Coach Lee Min-seong's final judgment was to select 'veteran' Kim Jun-hong and completely exclude Han Tae-hee from the roster.

The selection of tall striker Lee Young-jun can be somewhat understood given the lack of resources with clear competitiveness on his team in Dong Nai. However, this also leaves room for regret when combined with the exclusion of some 'non-veteran' European-based attacking resources from the final roster. Since most of the Asian Games schedule overlaps with A-match periods, it is relatively unlikely that their clubs would have refused requests to release them during negotiations, which adds to the same context.

Ultimately, this unusual decision to select three veterans is interpreted as a result of Coach Lee Min-seong himself hitting a wall during the preparation process over the past year. In fact, the Lee Min-seong squad suffered its worst performance at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in January, losing to teams two years younger and falling to Vietnam for the first time in history, finishing fourth. It was around this time that Coach Lee Min-seong, who had previously emphasized military service benefits for players upon taking office, suddenly changed course, stating, "I judged that veterans were needed. Performance comes first."

This decision has created a situation where failure to achieve the sole goal of the Asian Games — winning the gold medal — would deal an even more 'fatal blow' to Coach Lee Min-seong. Even with the unusual selection of three veterans, he cannot escape the stigma of failing in his bid for gold. Regarding the composition of the final roster for this Asian Games, Coach Lee Min-seong stated, "After comprehensively reviewing all processes, we have formed the final roster with players who are most competitive at this age level and can achieve the best results in a short-term tournament," adding, "The entire team will do its utmost until the end to achieve the goal of winning the gold medal."

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*This content was translated by AI.