“Unusual” Asian Games Gold Medal-Winning National Soccer Team: Possibility of Military Service Exemption Cancellation, “President Lee Must Make a Decision”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The atmosphere is far from ordinary. Observations have even emerged that the special military service exemption for national soccer team players who won gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and were on the verge of receiving a military benefit could be completely canceled starting with this very tournament.

Ahn Cheol-soo, People Power Party lawmaker, stated on his personal social media service (SNS) on the 7th that “the time has come to abolish ‘gold medal military exemption’ at the Asian Games” and argued that “we must consider abolishing the exemption privilege starting from this Asian Games.”

Article 68-11 of the current Enforcement Decree of the Military Service Act stipulates that athletes who place third or higher in the Olympics or first in the Asian Games are eligible for inclusion as arts and sports personnel, but the intent is to revise this and overturn the application of benefits even for Lee Beon (CEO) team from scratch.

Remarks from ministers of competent ministries considering abolition also poured out at the National Assembly’s National Audit Office. According to NEWS1, Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, officially confirmed at the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee national audit held on the 7th that “we will consult with the Ministry of National Defense on a proposal including abolition.”

When Jo Eun-hee, People Power Party lawmaker, who took part in the questioning, asked, “At this Asian Games, 16 baseball players, 20 soccer players, and 8 basketball players became eligible for military service exemption,” Choi (Minister) pointed out, “It is true that the system has contributed to maintaining and growing the skills of excellent artists and athletes so far, but now the values regarding fairness and perspectives on military service have changed.”

Even when Jo (Rep.) pointed out, “The national team is supposed to play for the honor of the country, not as a ticket for professional players to resolve military service issues. The anger of young people in their 20s lies here,” Choi (Minister) did not back down, stating, “It means we will look at it more fairly and strictly, and naturally, we have no choice but to move in the direction of reduction. Since the Ministry of National Defense also has various proposals including system abolition, we will consult with the Ministry of National Defense.”

The Ministry of National Defense is also of the same mind. Kang Shin-cheol, Minister of National Defense, who attended the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee national audit on the same day, presented a clear policy stating, “The goal of the Ministry of National Defense is to gradually reduce military service exemptions and ultimately abolish them.”

The trend that the abolition of military service exemptions is becoming increasingly likely. On the previous day, the 6th as well, Jung Bit-na, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, declared through a regular briefing, “We plan to reflect and promote the reduction or abolition of supplementary reserve personnel, including arts and sports personnel, in the Basic Plan for Defense Reform, comprehensively considering fairness and equity among those obligated to military service, the sharp decrease in military resources, and public consensus.”

The direct trigger that put the special exemption system, maintained for over half a century, at a crossroads of survival or extinction was the national soccer team’s self-destructive words and actions.

The Korean national team led by coach Lee Min-seong defeated Japan 1-0 in the final on the 3rd and achieved the great feat of winning four consecutive titles at the tournament.

The celebration ended in an instant. Captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon FC) shook his gold medal in the mixed zone and shouted, “I won’t go to the military,” while Yang Min-hyuk (Vestelo) revealed his inner thoughts by saying, “I played only looking at one thing: military exemption.” Even the youngest player, Park Seung-soo (Newcastle United), posted a photo on SNS wearing a military discharge cap in the locker room.

Criticism boiled over that they had driven a nail into the hearts of military personnel serving at the front lines and young people who have devoted their youth. Foreign media, including the UK’s “Telegraph,” Japan’s “Ronsport,” and China’s “Sohu.com,” even mocked that the Korean national soccer team had reduced the value of the gold medal to an escape route from military exemption.

As conscription resources were depleted due to the population cliff, Hong So-young, head of the Military Manpower Administration, had hinted at a policy of reducing supplementary reserve personnel in August. The national soccer team’s reckless conduct that erupted during such a sensitive period went beyond pouring oil on the flames of public opinion for abolition, returning as a cliff-edge crisis demanding the fundamental deprivation of special exemption benefits even for medalists from this very Asian Games.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original