“A former K League player who served in the military as an active-duty soldier,” Im Min-hyuk, stated, “The criteria and extent of military service exemptions need to be made more refined, and we must also address the issue of non-medal-winning athletes being marginalized.”

*This content was translated by AI.

“No matter how I think about it, now is the right time.”

Im Min-hyuk (32), a politician and former K League professional football player, emphasized regarding the recent controversy over Asian Games military service exemptions that “we need to move beyond binary thinking of either maintaining or abolishing the system, discuss various alternatives, and also address the issue of ‘non-medal-winning athletes’ who cannot receive exemptions or join the military sports teams being marginalized.” He possesses a unique career history, having served in the military as an active-duty soldier during his professional playing days, then discharged and resumed his professional career.

On the 7th, Im Min-hyuk told StarNews, “Military service is truly a ‘sensitive issue’ in Korean society. It is difficult to speak about easily, and any claim one makes inevitably carries a burden.” However, he emphasized, “I believe that at a time when so many people are looking at this issue, it is an opportunity to properly conduct the discussion that has been postponed for a long time.”

He explained, “The debate over military service benefits for athletes began when the national baseball team lost 0-5 to the Japanese representative team, which was composed of amateur teams, in the Super Round, and then won the gold medal after a close match in the final.” He added, “Some fans are saying, ‘BTS, who is popular worldwide, goes to the military, so does it make sense that domestic professional sports athletes, who are relatively less known to the public, receive military service benefits?’”

He continued, “The men’s national football team also poured oil on the fire. After defeating Japan and achieving a four-peat at the Asian Games, some players made remarks implying they ‘would not go to the military’ regarding military service benefits, or were seen wearing discharge caps, which intensified the controversy, ultimately leading the players to apologize directly. Regardless of the value of the gold medal, it was a scene that could invite criticism for treating military service exemptions as a natural prize.”

Im Min-hyuk emphasized, “Even so, it is difficult to deny that military service exemptions have played a significant role in Korean sports. In football, Park Ji-sung, Son Heung-min, and Kim Min-jae were able to continue their activities in overseas leagues through military service benefits. In baseball, players like Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin benefited similarly. This likely had a considerable impact on the development of each sport, and there is certainly an aspect where the issue of military service has served as a strong motivation for athletes.”

He continued, “The issue of the military is a practical problem that can be directly linked to whether an athlete’s career can continue, given that the physical time available to demonstrate physical ability is limited for athletes.” However, he explained, “That does not mean there are no methods other than military service exemptions. One can simultaneously handle sports and military service through the military sports teams operated by the Ministry of National Defense, known as the ‘Sangmu’ (military sports units). The application conditions for Ha Ji-man (SVP) are also quite strict. Many Seon Su-deul-i (SVP) may struggle not just to pass but even at the application stage.”

He claimed, “I myself was not a starter during my playing days, so I could not apply for the Sangmu team. After serving 1 year and 6 months as an active-duty soldier, I returned to my team. It is not easy just to get into the Sangmu team, let alone becoming a national team member and winning a gold medal. However, we need to consider that the difficulty of achieving this and the extent of military service benefits to be granted are separate issues.”

Im Min-hyuk stated, “The controversy over military service exemptions is not simple because it concerns the future of individuals and specific sports. It needs to be viewed from multiple angles in a three-dimensional way.” However, he said, “If we cannot solve the real military issue, do athletes have no choice but to retire? In 1977, when the framework for the military service exemption system was established, the service period was 33 months. Compared to the current period (18 months), it is about twice as long. Nowadays, if one is willing, high-level individual training is possible. If one has the effort and will to become a professional athlete, it cannot be said to be entirely impossible. At least, there is room to argue that the impact on an athlete’s career has decreased compared to the past.”

He continued, “In my case, I received a draft notice during the 2019 season in my third year as a professional, and I enlisted immediately after the season ended. Then, in July 2021, I returned to my team and continued my playing career. Of course, it was not easy. It was difficult to avoid stress regarding self-management throughout my military service.” However, he explained, “Still, because I was relatively young in my mid-20s, I believed that even if my technical sense declined, I could maintain my condition. No matter what happened, I tried not to skip strength training and aerobic exercise. That is how I returned in 2021, and the following year I appeared in 12 matches, recording the most appearances in a single season since my professional debut, before continuing my playing career until 2024. This would be an example showing that even without military service exemptions, serving in the military is not necessarily as fatal to an athlete’s lifespan as it was in the past.”

Im Min-hyuk then stated, “Of course, it is also difficult to see simply reducing military service benefits as a clear solution. Let us assume that out of 100 athletes, 20 receive benefits. If we cut the benefits in half, the remaining 10 Myeong Eun (SVP) would have to join the Sangmu team or enlist as active-duty soldiers. Some of them may lose opportunities for overseas advancement or spend a crucial period of their careers serving in the military.” He added, “If they go to Lee Deul-i (SVP), it also creates a phenomenon where positions for other athletes decrease. It is no exaggeration to say that K League Seon Su-deul-eun (CEO) team players of the same age who were not selected for the Asian Games or Olympics pray for their teammates to bring back gold medals. This is because it increases the likelihood that they themselves can apply for and pass the Sangmu team selection.”

In response, Im Min-hyuk emphasized, “Personally, rather than unconditionally reducing benefits, we need to consider ways to raise the threshold for exemptions while making military service-related systems a bit more refined.”

He stated, “There are various methods, but we can consider the ‘point system’ that was discussed in the past. For example, one could require 100 points to be eligible for appointment as a sports personnel, assigning 100, 80, and 50 points for Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively, and around 50, 30, and 20 points for Asian Games gold, silver, and bronze medals.” He argued, “For football, which has an age limit (under 23), one could assign a certain number of points for A-match appearance experience to fill the remaining points, or separately reflect achievements in world tournaments like the World Cup, or allow re-participation in tournaments as a wildcard.”

Im Min-hyuk added, “We can also consider the option of allowing athletes who meet certain criteria among registered players with each association to postpone their service period until age 35. Specific points and criteria can be easily revised and supplemented by applying actual cases from past athletes.”

Im Min-hyuk also emphasized, “We need to look at the remaining athletes who do not receive benefits, whether or not military service exemptions exist.”

He explained, “Compared to athletes who have completed their service or resolved the military issue early through exemptions, they may also be disadvantaged after their playing careers. There is a difference in the starting point as coaches. Athletes whose careers were interrupted because they could not join the Sangmu team must start their careers from youth coaching, while athletes who resolved the military issue early have a higher possibility of starting their coaching careers at a higher level.” He added, “It is worth considering that a single opportunity in one’s early 20s can act as a factor continuously widening the gap in subsequent careers. This may not contribute to the continuous growth of Korean football as much as the issue of athletes who originally received benefits losing overseas advancement opportunities due to not receiving them.”

He continued, “If we introduce a point system and reduce cases where multiple people are appointed as sports personnel at once with a single gold medal as is currently the case, we can also consider providing somewhat weaker military-related options for the many athletes below them. It is also difficult to assert that completely abolishing military service benefits would be beneficial for Korean football in the long term.” He explained, “We can design the system more refinedly by granting the same military service exemptions as now to athletes who meet the highest criteria, while providing differentiated opportunities based on performance and circumstances to athletes who do not meet those criteria.”

Im Min-hyuk also said, “If we provide coaching training benefits to athletes who could not join the Sangmu team or did not win a gold medal, or prepare other methods to reduce career interruptions while fulfilling military service obligations normally, we can narrow the gap with benefited athletes to some extent. Only then can the K League maintain a healthier ecosystem for a long time.”

Emphasizing that “we must make the criteria and extent of benefits more refined rather than unconditionally reducing the pie for benefited athletes,” he added, “We need to prepare alternative options for athletes who do not receive benefits so that polarization among athletes does not continue to deepen due to a single opportunity. This is not about taking away anyone’s benefits. It is about broadening the options for Korean football as a whole so that an athlete’s future is not divided too early due to the reality of military service. It is an issue worth enough value for everyone to pool their heads and consider.”

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*This content was translated by AI.