'Will the path for next-generation Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in be blocked?' If they fail, a 'record-breaking fallout' is certain... Lee Min-seong's unprecedented "line in the sand"

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Min-seong, who took command of the South Korea U-23 national football team, has drawn a line in the sand for himself by selecting Asian Games squad members in a manner completely different from his initial pledge upon assuming the role. Criticism is mounting as he made a contradictory choice to overlook promising players yet to serve their military duty and instead include a large number of soldiers who have already fulfilled their obligations.

At his inauguration ceremony for the U-23 national team, Coach Lee Min-seong previously declared, "My dream and wish is to exempt players from military service, even if it means breaking my own body, driven by motivation for the sake of the players." He added, "After that, Coach Hong Myung-bo won an Olympic bronze medal. I believe my dream and wish is to aim higher than that." This was a statement from a commander who understood better than anyone the value of military exemptions tied to Asian Games gold medals and their role in motivating players.

Unlike such bold pledges, Coach Lee Min-seong is expected to end his term early after this Asian Games. Although his original term was set until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, serious performance decline and poor results became a hindrance. Ultimately, the Korea Football Association decided in May to establish a two-track system separating the Asian Games team from the Olympic team, appointing Coach Kim Eun-joong, who led the U-20 World Cup team to a quarterfinal miracle, as the new Olympic team commander. This means Coach Lee is now in a position where he must step down regardless of this tournament's outcome.

Coach Lee Min-seong, who must preserve his last shred of dignity at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games starting in mid-September, has drawn a line in the sand even before the tournament. In the final roster (23 players) for the men's national team, he included three players who have already completed their military service through Kim Cheon (SVP): goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong (Suwon Samsung), forward Lee Young-jun (Grasshopper Club), and midfielder Lee Seung-won (FC Anyang).

In particular, Lee Seung-won's selection is difficult to defend without criticism that he took the spot of non-served players who have been performing well in the league, despite his playing time with his current team being limited to just two starts this season.

The coach's bold exclusions did not stop there. Yoon Do-young (Magdeburg) and Kim Min-su (Girona), currently developing on overseas stages and regarded as the future of Korean football, were both left off the roster. Moreover, dual-nationality player Jens Castrof (Borussia Mönchengladbach), who was even selected for the senior World Cup team, ultimately failed to make the cut. Born in Germany, Castrof is currently restricted by domestic residence periods and profit-making activities, missing a decisive opportunity to gain military exemptions through this tournament and freely operate within Korea. Additionally, proven non-served players such as Seo Jae-min (Incheon United) and Son Jung-beom (FC Seoul), who have recently shone in K League 1, were also overlooked.

Of course, this final roster includes nine European-based players—Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Yang Min-hyeok (Tottenham), Park Seung-soo (Newcastle United), and Kim Ji-soo (Brentford)—the highest number in history, forming a splendid lineup.

However, despite having the largest-ever contingent of European-based players, concerns about Lee Min-seong's team remain widespread. Above all, this is because the U-23 team's performance has been abysmal. Under Coach Lee Min-seong, South Korea's U-23 national team failed to achieve satisfactory results over the past year. They managed only one draw and one loss against Australia, suffered two consecutive defeats to Saudi Arabia, lost 0-2 to China, and recently fell to weak-ranked Kyrgyzstan (FIFA ranking 106th) during a training camp in Thailand. Despite having a numerical advantage due to an opponent's red card, the team's lifeless performance that could not avoid defeat delivered a major shock.

In this context of unstable performance, Coach Lee's decision to exclude many promising players who urgently need military exemptions is expected to lead to concerns that future generations such as Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) may not emerge.

South Korea has won three consecutive gold medals since the 2014 Incheon Games. During this period, players such as Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in resolved their military issues, laying the foundation for them to continue their careers unimpeded on Europe's top leagues. The Asian Games have served not merely as a tournament but as a stepping stone helping Korean football assets reach the global stage.

The bold pledge to provide military exemptions even at the cost of his own well-being has vanished, and Coach Lee Min-seong has drawn a line in the sand through the unusual selection of soldiers and the exclusion of key promising players. If he fails to win gold at this Asian Games, criticism that he blocked the future of non-served players will mount, and the weight of responsibility the coach himself must bear is expected to become overwhelmingly heavy.

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*This content was translated by AI.