"South Korea Football: A Massive 20 Players Granted Military Service Exemption" The 'Mega Gift' That Came Along with the Fourth Consecutive Asian Games Title... A Green Light for European-Based Players' Careers [Aichi-Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korea men's national football team secured another valuable gift alongside the monumental achievement of winning four consecutive Asian Games titles, a first in history. A total of 20 players resolved their military service obligations, thereby adding wings to their future careers.

The South Korea Under-23 (U-23) national football team, led by coach Lee Min-seong, defeated host nation Japan 1-0 in the men's football final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Toyota Stadium in Japan on the 3rd to claim the gold medal.

The tense match was decided in the 16th minute of the second half. Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) scored a crucial winning goal, and South Korea maintained their one-goal lead until the end.

With this victory, South Korea has reached the summit for the fourth consecutive time, following the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou Games, achieving the first-ever four-peat in men's football at the Asian Games.

Along with the gold medal, significant benefits also came to the individual players.

Of the 23rd players in the final Lee Beon (CEO) team roster, the remaining 20 were granted military service exemptions, excluding Kim Jun-hong (Suwon Samsung), Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC), and Lee Young-jun (Grasshopper Club Zurich), who had already completed their military service obligations. Kim Jun-hong, Lee Seung-won, and Lee Young-jun all completed their military service in the National COLONY Military Special Forces (Military Service Agency) and were discharged.

The recipients of this benefit are Kim Myeong-jun (Club Brugge), Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk), Park Seung-su (Newcastle), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Yang Min-hyuk (Vestelo), Yang Hyeon-jun (Celtic FC), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon), Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca), Hwang Do-yoon (Seoul), Kang Min-jun (Pohang), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Park Kyung-seop (Incheon), Park Seong-hun (Seoul), Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), Choi Seok-hyeon (Ulsan), Choi Woo-jin (Jeonbuk), Kim Min-seung (Paju), and Lee Seung-hwan (Chungbuk Cheongju), totaling 20 players.

In particular, this military service exemption is expected to be a significant boost for the players' future careers.

One of the players who most dramatically resolved their military service issue was 'Captain' Lee Gi-hyuk, who participated as a wildcard.

Lee Gi-hyuk, who also served as the captain of the Lee Beon (CEO) team, firmly established his name through the 2026 North and Central America World Cup this summer. Although his selection was close to a surprise, he started all three group stage matches and played a pivotal role in South Korea's defense.

However, the military service issue remained an unresolved task in Lee Gi-hyuk's career. He had been preparing for military service, such as applying to be a National COLONY Special Forces soldier, and the Asian Games gold medal was essentially the most certain opportunity to resolve this issue. This victory allowed him to shed that burden.

Coincidentally, interest in Lee Gi-hyuk from overseas also grew after the World Cup.

Previously, it was reported through local media that Serbian powerhouse Red Star Belgrade had scouted Lee Gi-hyuk. Subsequently, his name was mentioned as a candidate for transfer to Machida Zelvia of Japan's J1 League. This demonstrates the rising value of Lee Gi-hyuk following the recent World Cup.

Lee Gi-hyuk himself did not hide his ambition for a bigger stage.

After the World Cup, Lee Gi-hyuk stated in an interview with StarNews, "I think I have shown to some extent that I can perform at the European level. Personally, my ambitions have grown significantly," adding, "If I do well, it could serve as a stepping stone to move to overseas leagues," revealing his intention to advance to Europe.

At the time, Lee Gi-hyuk also cited resolving the military service issue through the Asian Games as an important goal.

Now he has directly removed one of the biggest obstacles. The Asian Games gold medal is expected to be a great strength for Lee Gi-hyuk's future career.

The same applies to players already playing in Europe. To continue their careers abroad for a long period, the military service issue was a variable that would eventually need to be resolved. However, that uncertainty has disappeared.

European-based players, including winning goal scorer Um Ji-sung, Bae Jun-ho, Yang Hyeon-jun, Yang Min-hyuk, Kim Ji-soo, Park Seung-su, Lee Hyun-ju, and Kim Myeong-jun, can now focus on their club careers without the burden of military service issues.

In particular, from the perspective of overseas clubs, a South Korean player's military service issue can act as an important variable when pursuing long-term contracts or transfers.

By eliminating this uncertainty with the gold medal, they have laid a foundation to further expand their standing in Europe or move to higher levels in the future.

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*This content was translated by AI.